


Not gonna let you lose

by snuckybarnes



Series: Talk [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, starts out canon compliant but will diverge at the end of episode 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2018-11-11 10:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 42,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11146152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snuckybarnes/pseuds/snuckybarnes
Summary: Jack rolls his eyes. "We're a team, remember?"___In which Rhys will actually hold him to that.And if the two of them happen to grow closer along the way... That's just how things are.(The extended version of Just gonna tell the truth)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After writing the first work in the series, I kind of wanted to expand on it, and since like two people seemed to want that... here we are! The first chapter is essentially a copy of the original fic, but since I got some details wrong I wanted to rewrite a few parts of it. I'll let the other one stay up though, for those who want a short, one-shot talk. This edition is for the ones who are in it for the long run. I can't promise regular updates what with my work schedule and so on, but hopefully they'll be somewhat frequent.

"So... Stacey, huh?"

Rhys lets out an undignified yelp as the familiar hologram flickers into view. He should have learned to anticipate whenever Jack is about to show up by now, but it still manages to catch him by surprise.

"Wha- what?" he says, clearing his throat.

Jack leans back against the empty air behind him while the Pandoran landscape flashes by. Rhys is honestly a bit grateful that he's tied to the back of the vehicle; at least this way he won't risk falling off.

"Stacey!" Jack throws his arms out in front of him, as if everything should be clear by now. "Y'know? Stacey? The ex-girlfriend you mentioned?"

Rhys narrows his eyes. "What about her? Wait. You were listening? I was just talking to myself."

"I'm in your _head_ , dum-dum. I'm always feakin' listening." 

"Right." If it hadn't been for the ropes around his arms, Rhys would have dragged his fingers through his hair.

"So? What happened with her?" Jack asks. "I mean, no offense, but you're not the most violent guy out there. If you're happy to see her likeness as a psycho-made skin pizza she must have done something pretty bad. Right?" 

"Right," Rhys says slowly, then shakes his head. "Wait, why are you asking about this?" 

Jack rolls his eyes. "Don't be so suspicious, pumpkin, we're a team, remember? And I'm asking 'cause we're about to go back to Helios, which is _my_ space station in case you forgot, and we'll go into _my_ office, and it struck me that I really don't know that much about you. I mean, aside from the fact that you're my biggest fan, of course." 

"I'm not your- So you figure my _ex_ is the best place to start?" 

"Well, it's the info you gave me, isn't it? And an ex can say a lot about a person. So spill." Jack's hologram flickers again and he's on his stomach now, head propped up in his hands and his legs slowly moving back and forth. Honestly? He looks ridiculous. 

"Fine," Rhys decides, wishing he could cross his arms. "We were together for a while a few years ago, until she cheated on me with a guy I kind of already disliked and the two of them almost got me kicked off of Helios." 

"And?"

"And what?" 

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me you let them get away with that! Did you kill them? I would have killed them." Jack averts his gaze, with that dreamy look on his face he sometimes gets when thinking about revenge and killing people.

"Easy for you to say when you own the damn station. But I didn't kill them," Rhys clarifies, and Jack looks a bit disappointed, "I did get back at them, though." 

Jack lights up and then looks confused, apparently not able to come up with any ways to get revenge at someone without killing them. The hologram disappears for a split second before he reappears again, now sitting up. "How?" 

This isn't something Rhys has told anyone, not even Vaughn. He was always worried it would get out somehow, and then he'd be sent off the station. He supposes he could have said something now that they're on Pandora but it never really came up. But this... This is Handsome Jack. He won't even think it something worth mentioning. And it's not like he can talk to anyone other than Rhys about it even if he wanted to. Not to mention the fanboy in Rhys is kind of ecstatic to have Jack ask him to tell him about himself. 

"Alright, like I said, it was a few years ago. Two, maybe?. I'd just, uh, It was after my surgery. I'd just gotten these bad boys here." He nods towards his right shoulder. Gesturing at his eye isn't really an option right now, but he figures Jack will get the point. "Anyway. We'd been together for a few months, but then I decided to have the surgery and I guess cyborg Rhys wasn't really what she wanted. I mean, she didn't really say anything, but she, uh... Well, I noticed." 

"Waitwaitwait," Jack interrupts, and when Rhys looks up at him he sees that he's frowning. "She ditched you 'cause of your cybernetics? Come on, that doesn't make any sense. That's high quality Hyperion tech right there, she should have been crying in awe, not- not dumping your ass." 

"Well, she didn't, alright?" Rhys tells him, looking away again. "And she didn't dump me." 

"No?" Jack's usual confident grin finds its way back to his face. "Well this I gotta hear, princess. Go on."

Rhys nods. "After the surgery and everything around it, we hadn't really..."

"Banged." 

Rhys glares at Jack, letting out a frustrated sigh before shaking his head. "...been with each other. For a while. And I was walking across the Hub of Heroism when I see her in sitting in the lap of this guy Hector. Who I kind of had a bunch of, uh, disagreements with already. And they're pretty heavy on the PDA." 

It's funny. The memory shouldn't stir up emotions the way it is, but Rhys can't help it. Stacey was the first person he'd really gotten close to since coming to Helios, and seeing her like that... Well it hurt. He risks a glance at Jack, and is surprised to find that he looks... almost concerned. Now that's unsettling. "Anyway," he continues, "I walked up to them, asked her what the hell she was doing. She kinda tried to deny it, but I mean, the guy had her lipstick all over his face so it didn't really work out for her." 

"Ah. Classic," Jack chuckles.

"Right. So I, heh, I kinda started yelling at her. Accusing her of... stuff." Rhys turned up his emotions to eleven, figuring he might as well put his skills from his high school drama class to use. He was hurt, he will never deny that, but he made sure to give a performance as well. "Everyone who heard me took my side, and her cheating on me right after i got my cybernetics? Didn't really do wonders for her reputation. She got called a traitor afterwards, accused of secretly working for Dahl... I even got some applause when I told her we were over." 

In front of him, Jack crosses his arms. "Look, don't get me wrong here. That's nice and all, Rhysie, but it's... kinda boring? Please tell me there's more to it." 

"Well, a week or so later, I'm in my bedroom and I'm kind of messing with around with my systems, still trying to figure out what they can be used for-" 

"Oh yeah?" Jack interrupts, raising his eyebrows. "Come up with any nice ideas?" 

"Oh, come on, I'm trying to tell you the story here!" Rhys groans, throwing his head back, realizing too late that he's still bound to the outside of a car. "Fuck," he hisses, squeezing his eyes shut. That's gonna bruise. 

He looks up again, ready to continue talking, and realizes that Jack is gone. "Great. Fantastic," he mutters. Seems like he will have to spend the rest of the ride alone. 

"Y'know, pumpkin, if you want me to leave you can just say so. No need to hurt yourself."

Rhys yelps again as he looks up to find Jack sitting next to him this time, close enough that they would almost have touched, had Jack still been human. 

"You were saying something about your cybernetics?" He gives Rhys' right arm a look.

Rhys blinks a few times before he once again turns his thoughts to his memories. "Yeah. I was testing out the scanner, and that's when I found a bunch of drugs hidden under my mattress. Very illegal, even for Hyperion. That weren't mine," he added. He might not be the type to get high, but he wouldn't be surprised if Jack used to be. "So I hacked the camera in the hallway, and saw Stacey going into my apartment earlier that day. She knew I was being watched now that I'd gotten upgraded, and that if anyone found those drugs in my possession I'd be spaced faster than I could blink. I did some digging and found out that she'd gotten a friend of hers to talk to the guards about it."

Jack snorts. "What a bitch. Like I said, I'd have killed her. But you... didn't?" 

"No. I, uh, I got the drugs to her apartment instead and fixed the security footage. And I manipulated a couple of files so that she looked... a little more troublesome than she was. Changed the data so that the guards came looking for her instead of me. Got her into enough trouble that she was fired and sent back to Artemis. Haven't seen her since." As for Hector, that's another story. One in which it's pretty significant that his last name happens to be Vasquez. But Jack didn't ask about him. 

In the corner of his eye, he can see Jack shrug. "I have to give it to you, Rhysie, that's almost creative. Makes me a little proud of you. What about the others?" 

Rhys frowns. "The others?"

"Your other ex-girlfriends, cupcake. Come on, looker like you can't just have had the one."

Despite himself, Rhys feels his cheeks heat up a bit at being complimented. This is Handsome Jack, after all. "Why are you so interested anyway?" he asks, dodging the question. 

"I told you. I wanna get to know you."

"But _why_?" 

"What else is there to do? In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a freakin' hologram, Rhys. I can't- I can't kill anyone, can't do anything, I can't- The only thing I can do is talk to you. So as depressing as that may seem, be a good kid and humor Handsome Jack for a bit, okay?" There's a tightness to Jack's voice that Rhys can't seem to define, but he decides to let it be for now. Though he does worry a little that there's something wrong with Jack, seeing as this has to be the longest he's ever let anyone else talk without making it about himself. 

"Fine," he sighs. "But it's not a long list, alright? And Stacey is the only revenge story I got, so you'll probably be bored soon anyway." 

"Look, no offense kiddo, but I'd rather be bored out here than in the back of that head of yours." Always such a charmer.

Rhys leans his head back against the metal of the vehicle, carefully this time. He's decided that the sky is the most peaceful part of Pandora. At least when it's not filled with rakks that want to eat you or whatever it is that they do. Rhys hasn't bothered to stop and ask. He looks up at Elpis, and Helios in front of it. It's still strange to see it from this point of view. He nods towards the station. "I dated a woman named Jennifer for a while, a few years after I started working for Hyperion but before I got to Helios." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah. Met her in the cafeteria. We even moved in together, but it wasn't meant to be, in the end." 

"Did she cheat on you too?" Jack teases. 

"No."

"Did... you cheat on her?" Rhys can picture Jack's narrowed eyes without having to look at him. 

"Nope. Not really my style, Jack." 

"Did she die? Wait, she was Hyperion, I didn't kill her, right? 'Cause that'd be-" 

"She's not dead, Jack. And you weren't even in charge of Hyperion at the time," Rhys turns his head to look at him. For a while, Jack seems almost... concerned. "We just broke up."

Jack snorts. "Wow, that's boring." Why did Rhys ever think he looked concerned? Handsome Jack doesn't do concerned. Jack snorts. "What about the others? Not all of your ex-girlfriends can have been that dull. Please."

Rhys shrugs. "That's all of them." 

Jack bursts out laughing. A second later he's standing up, one hand pressed against an invisible wall, the other smacking his knee. "I- I- I have to give it to you, Rhys. You can be fuckin' _hilarious_ when you want to," he weezes. He laughs a bit more, then he lets out a long sigh, his hologram shape flickering back to sitting next to Rhys.

"I'm not joking, Jack." Rhys raises his eyebrows and shakes his head. Wow, this guy can be an asshole when he wants to. Which is to say, all the time. 

"You're not?" Jack asks in disbelief. "You've only been in two relationships? I mean, come on, how old are you, kiddo? That's- Just _two_?" 

"I didn't say that. But I mean, you did specifically ask for ex-girlfriends, and I only have two of those." 

Jack lets out a relieved sigh, leaning back against the metal behind them. "Oh, alright. Shit, babe, you had me there for a second. You're a real joker, that you are. Fine, then. Tell me about your ex-boyfriends." 

Rhys looks away again. This feels more... intimate, somehow. "Alright. In high school I went out with a guy named Daniel. He was cute, but it was high school, so." 

"Don't worry, sweetcheeks, not even I had dramatic break-ups in high school," Jack assures. Is he going to share a story of his own? When he doesn't, Rhys lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

It takes him a moment, but Rhys soon realizes Jack's silence means for him to continue. "Then, in college, I met this guy named Victor. He was real sweet. I mean, I was kind of a nerd back then so I never really got what he saw in me, but he asked me out and, well... We were together until we graduated." 

"Aw. How cute. I mean, kinda gross, but cute."

Rhys doesn't really know how to respond to that, so he just sighs. Again. "Well, I got my internship as soon as I graduated, and we figured we didn't wanna do the whole long-distance thing, so we agreed to end it for the time being." 

"Your internship?" 

"Yeah," Rhys confirms. "At Hyperion." 

"You broke up with your boyfriend to work at my company?" Jack almost sounds smug. 

"It wasn't yours at the time. And it wasn't like that. I just... wanted the internship." He takes in the sight of Pandora in the faint, purple moonlight. "And look where that got me, huh?" 

"Would you do it again? If you knew what you know now?" Rhys imagines the words are spoken with a tentativeness, of a sort. 

Would he, though? He can't know for sure what kind of future he would have had with Victor. Hell, they probably wouldn't have stayed together until now anyway. It might have been a peaceful future, though. Free of the backstabbing environment at the heart of Hyperion. But there are a lot of things Rhys wouldn't have gotten to do if he hadn't started working for Hyperion too. If he hadn't gone to Helios. He and Vaughn probably would have fallen out, for starters. And he never would have injected a certain AI into his head. He looks at the AI in question, a smile playing on the corner of his lips. "Yeah. I think I would've." 

"Good," Jack states, looking straight ahead. "Would've hated to still be stuck in that ID drive. Or worse, in the head of some other lowly idiot with a head port." Jack turns to him then, eyes widening a bit. "Not that you're a lowly idiot. Just, y'know. That's where I could have been. But I got lucky, didn't I?" 

The compliment feels kind of backhanded, but Rhys smiles anyway. "Guess you did."

"So. That all of them?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. Well, kind of? There was Garrett, but we never really dated." Rhys met him when he first got to Helios, shortly after Jack took over Hyperion. "We went out a few times, and I mean, things were going pretty well. And then I brought him back to my place for the first time and he kind of freaked out. Next time we talked he told me it had been nice, but that he wasn't really ready. 'It's not you, it's me' and all that." Rhys decided not to dwell on it. Garrett ditched him, but Rhys hadn't gotten attached enough to be really hurt. Honestly? Most of all, he got a bit annoyed. 

"What the hell did you have back at your place that made him freak out?" Jack's voice lowers to a conspiratory whisper. "Your murder victims?" 

"What!? No!" Rhys' bedroom had been perfectly normal, as a matter of fact. A little messy, sure, but it had some plants, a nice holo-window, plenty of Hyperion-issued posters of- Posters of Handsome Jack. Shit.

"Woah, you went a little pale there, pumpkin. _Did_ you have murder victims in there? 'Cause then I'd almost be impressed," Jack teases. Rhys barely hears him. His slight celebrity crush on Jack back in the day cost him a potential boyfriend. Now that is an awkward realisation.

"Of course I didn't," he answers, definitely not looking at Jack and silently begging him not to press the subject. 

Jack sighs. "I've had a few of those, y'know."

"Murder victims?" 

"No. Well, _yeah_ , but that's not what I meant. I meant people that I almost-but-never-really dated." 

"Yeah?" Rhys asks, hardly believing that Jack might actually share something personal. Although the attention has been on Rhys for so long that it's only natural Jack wants to bring it back to himself by now.

"Yeah. In college, mostly. It always kinda ended when they found out I had a-" Jack goes quiet, and Rhys wants to push but worries that if he does, Jack will close himself off forever. Next to him, Jack takes a deep breath. It's funny, Rhys thinks. He doesn't even need the air. "When they found out about Angel." 

Rhys turns to look at him. "Angel?"

A small, sad smile finds its way to Jack's lips. "Yeah. My daughter."

Handsome Jack has a daughter. Holy shit. Rhys tries not to let his surprise show on his face, or not to let anything show on his face, for that matter. How did he not know about this? He's focusing his best on not accidentally logging the new information in his virtual brain, figuring it's for the best if Jack can't know how important he finds it. He eventually realizes he should say something.

"I... I didn't know you had a daughter." Well done, Rhys, real smooth. 

Jack shrugs. "Most people don't, these days. Always figured she'd be safer if people didn't know 'bout her." 

"So... How come you're telling me?" Rhys wonders, while asking himself if this means Jack thinks he's special. 

Jack gives him a smile that for the first time seems genuine, without selfish or malicious undertones. It pulls at the corner of his lips and makes his eyes soften. It's a damn good look on him, and Rhys is reminded of just why he got that celebrity crush in the first place. He's happy he's sitting down already, because his knees feel weak. "I dunno, Rhys. Guess I kinda trust you." 

Rhys practically _melts_. 

He can feel his cheeks heating up and looks away. "Well. I guess I kinda trust you too," he replies. He did tell him about Stacey, after all. (Rhys probably would have told Jack anything he asked, if he smiled at him like that, but that was for him to know.) 

"Anyway," Jack sighs and turns his gaze away, and Rhys can tell it's hard for him to get the words out, "Angel isn't really in the picture anymore." 

"What happened?" he asks.

Jack's virtual body goes tense. "It's complicated. I guess I… made some bad decisions, if you can believe it. Bad things happened, in general." 

Behind his back, Rhys feels his right has clenched into a fist, without his permission. He glances at Jack's hand and finds them balled up the same way. It's a strange impulse, but with what movement he has, he covers his right hand with his left. "Hey. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure she was a great kid." 

To his surprise, his metal hand unclenches and laces its fingers with the ones on his flesh hand. "Thanks, Rhysie. She still is, though. You should come see her sometime, I think she'd like you." It's the kindest thing he's ever heard Jack say, and that in combination with whatever is going on with his - their? - hands makes Rhys wonder if he's dreaming. He's pretty sure he has dreamt something like this, actually. 

"Anyway. Where was I, cupcake?" Jacks sounds tired, and looks it too. Rhys wonders if he should maybe let this whole thing go, but then Jacks-slash-his thumb casually strokes over his knuckles. It's all the courage Rhys needs. 

"Uh, college?" he offers. "And idiots who found out about Angel."

"Right." Jack leans his head back again, looking up at the night sky. "A few people thought she was cute, but most of 'em just figured I'd lied to them to get into their pants or something. Which is ridiculous. I don't need to lie to get into someone's pants, I mean, have you met me?" He chuckles a little to himself. "I'd have killed 'em for it. But believe it or not, I wasn't always such a badass, so I kind of just kicked 'em out. I mean, I did kill them later, since it wouldn't do if a bunch of people from college decided to go and blabber about Handsome Jack's kid. As a CEO you don't want people knowing too much about you, Rhysie, remember that.  But yeah. College wasn't really... Well, you get it." 

Jack usually doesn't need to be told to talk, but this doesn't feel like usual circumstances. So Rhys figures he could use a bit of a nudge. "What about after college?"

"Wow, aren't you desperate, princess?" Jack asks, but to Rhys' surprise it sounds more fond than teasing. The tone is enough to keep him from replying. "I'm gettin' there, sheesh. Gonna keep it brief though. My list's a bit longer than yours." Jack winks at him, and Rhys can't keep the blush from his cheeks. Jack must notice, judging by his soft chuckle. "I've been married to a few people, and had a few more sort-of-serious relationships," he admits. "Went together with Moxxi for a while, if you can believe it." 

Rhys wonders if that's supposed to tell him something. 

"Moxxi's pizza?" Jack asks. "Moxxi's bars? You've never-? Well, you're not really missing out on anything. Just Pandoran crap, really." He makes a face, then shrugs. "Anyway. Like I said. Been married a few times, dated some people. Had a lot of sex." He winks at Rhys again. What is he even getting at? "But I gotta say, it's been a while since I really did the whole relationship thing. Between running Hyperion and going after the Vault… I didn't really have a whole lotta spare time. I mean, I had _some_ time, sure. Was together with this girl Nisha for the last couple years, before Vault hunters killed her. But it was mostly physical and she was kind of a bandit, so… Yeah. Y'know." 

"Well, you've certainly been busy," Rhys says after a moment of silence. He feels… Not inadequate, but there's something. Jack has done so much more than him, in every way. It's been a while since his main focus was following in Jack's footsteps, but it's kind of weird to be reminded of the fact that he was never even close to doing so, even in such an irrelevant area as this. 

To Rhys' embarrassment, Jack seems to sense that something's wrong. "Sure, I've been with a lot of people," he says. "But I don't know, Rhysie, seems like what you had was pretty rewarding too. I mean, how long were you together with… what's his name… Victor?" 

Rhys shrugs, looking at nothing in particular. "Three years?" In the distance, he thinks he sees a few skags fighting each other. 

"Three? I mean, not counting Nisha I haven't had a real relationship that long since- Since Angel was little." 

"It was in college, Jack. Pretty long ago for me too." 

"Yeah, well… I'm older than you." The way he says it seems kind of childish, which doesn't really help prove his point. 

"You've been married. That must have meant something. Been pretty serious, at least. And this Nisha too, even if it was just..." Rhys shrugs.

Jack waves a hand in front of him. "Nah. You know how it is with women, cupcake. You fall hard, you fall fast, and then it's over just as quick as it begun." 

Rhys frowns. "That's what it's like for you?" He would be lying if he said he has never wondered how Jack's heart works. (Seriously, there were plenty of moments back on Helios when he fantasised about Handsome Jack seeing him in the crowd, his heart skipping, and he'd fall in love with Rhys. He has never told another soul about it and he never will.) But this seems… almost sad.

"Well, yeah?" Jack says, as if he can't imagine it being any other way. Without warning, Rhys feels the control of his cybernetic arm returning. Jack has both his arms crossed over his chest again. He feels kind of cold. "I mean, it's different with guys. You should know. I mean, because of Victor and all that." 

"Different how?" 

"Just- Just different. It's slower. It's not 'Shit, he's cute, I'm gonna marry him,' it's more like it takes a while and builds up and shit, and then after a while you realize you like him. And it lasts longer too. I mean, you don't just wake up one day feeling tired of him and wanting to leave. Sure, you might wanna throw him out the airlock now and then, like everyone else, but you'd never actually do it." 

Rhys probably should have been able to read between the lines earlier, but it's only now as Jack is speaking that he realises Jack has dated guys too. Anyone on Helios could have told you that Jack didn't care about the gender of the people he flirted with, but Rhys had eventually come to accept the fact that it was only about sex for Jack. The leader of Hyperion just… didn't date. (Not that that stopped Rhys from using his imagination. But again, he will never tell anyone about that.)

"What?" Jack mutters when Rhys doesn't say anything.

"I dunno. I guess it's not much of a difference for me." 

Jack narrows his eyes and shakes his head. "You're really weird, kiddo, anyone ever tell you that?" 

"A few times, yeah." Rhys is beginning to feel like this moment, whatever it was, is starting to fade. Well, he supposes it couldn't have lasted forever. 

Jack shakes his head. "God, I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you. It's pretty messed up, you know that, right? And I guess it goes without saying that I'm gonna kill you if you ever speak to anyone about it." 

"Of course," Rhys nods. It's an empty threat and they both know it. 

"You know, as weird as you are, you're really friggin' lucky you're pretty," Jack points out, not looking at Rhys. "I mean, at least you got that goin' for ya." 

Rhys snorts, forcing himself to not think about Handsome Jack calling him pretty. "Well, as much of an asshole as you are, you're lucky you're not ugly too."

Jack laughs, but it's not taunting, for once. "Anyway, pumpkin, moment's over," he says. "I'll go hang out with your dirty little secrets again. See ya." He taps his own temple before the hologram disappears. 

"Well," Rhys says to himself, "That was… weird." Yet, he feels like something has shifted, even though he can't really put a finger on what it is. It's nice though, and he feels surprisingly good, considering he's got a literal face in his pocket and that they're about to sneak into the heart of the most dangerous corporation in the galaxy. But, he supposes, things could have been worse. And a part of him feels like this is only the beginning of something much more significant.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Lemme check if the wallethead syndrome came with the face?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the actual new content that I've got for you. Things will start to diverge from canon in the next chapter or so, probably. Tell me what you think?

Rhys is staring at the mirror, poking his own face.

Well, technically it's not his face. Or it is his face, but it sure doesn't look like his face. Vasquez' sleazy eyes are staring back at him and he's pretty sure he's had a nightmare like this at some point. He's got wrinkles, too, which feels weird, but not nearly as weird as the beard. God, he never thought he would have a beard. Even if it's just digistructed. 

"Well, you definitely got uglier since last time I saw you," Jack points out and Rhys sees his reflection appear behind him in the mirror (he doesn't scream, thank you very much). How does a hologram even have a reflection? Rhys really needs to have a talk with the laws of physics some day. Or maybe the cybernetics division of Hyperion, if he gets his access back. 

"And dumber too, apparently," Jack continues as Rhys turns around to face him. "Did you get his brain as well as his face?" 

"No, I-" Rhys cringes at the sound of of Vasquez' voice and reaches up to turn off the voice modulator. He clears his throat. "No. But this is definitely weird. I look like such an asshole." 

Jack snorts. "No shit, kiddo." Then he gets a mischievous grin on his face and reaches up to touch the back of Rhys' head, before remembering he can't and pulling his hand back. "Do you got the implants?" he asks. "Do you- do you got weird little flaps of skin on the back of your head, Rhysie? God, that'd be so gross." 

The mental image of Vasquez' bald head flashes before Rhys' eyes, making him shudder. Ew. "Yeah, I'd rather not find out. At all," he tells Jack, hurrying to deactivate the digistruct. 

"Aw, come on, cupcake, you're no fun," Jack complains. "Couldn't you just… lift your hair up a little? Lemme check if the wallethead syndrome came with the face? Huh?" 

"I like my normal hair and head, thank you," Rhys mutters, pushing his fingers through said hair. 

Jack puts his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "Such a _shame_. You're always denying me all the fun."  

"Is that why you're out? To have fun?" Rhys asks, sitting down on a nearby workbench. 

"Well, yeah? And I'm also out 'cause you were thinking of me. Isn't that how this works?" 

"I wasn't thinking of you."

"Of course you were," Jack tells him. "You're always thinking 'bout Handsome Jack."

"I'm not!" 

Jack raises an eyebrow at him. 

"Look, if I was, wouldn't that mean you'd be out all the time?"

Jack narrows his eyes. "Hm. I guess you've got a point. Though, and I mean all offense, if you're not thinking about me, what does a guy like you think about?" 

Rhys wonders how Hyperion ever managed to hide how self-obsessed Jack could be. "Anything," he replies. "But right now it's mostly 'Holy shit, tomorrow we're going to shoot ourselves up into space in a fucking home-modified space _caravan_!'" Rhys kind of loses his control at the end there, but he can't even bring himself to be ashamed about it. He doesn't like heights, alright?  

To his surprise, Jack sits down next to him on the bench. "Oh, come on, it'll be fine. That Scooter makes some pretty solid stuff. I mean, I'd know, given how many times I've tried to blast those runners of his that Vault hunters like to use. And this thing won't even be digistructed."

"Reassuring, Jack." 

"What? I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe it. Hell, if I didn't believe it I wouldn't even let you near the damn thing. Can't have anything happen to that pretty little head of yours, now can we?" 

Rhys feels his ears heat up. "Guess not." 

"'Cause I live in it." 

"I know." 

"Good. So. You ready to hit Helios? Go mingle with the Hyperion elite again? Oh, that reminds me, I gotta ask, is there even an elite anymore? Without me, I mean?"

"Not really." Rhys shrugs. "Things got kind of… messy? After you- After you died."

"Right. Right." Jack nods, seeming a bit lost in thought. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

"We will?" 

"Oh, you'll see later. Don't you worry your precious little head about it for now. Just focus on getting up there in the first place and we'll be good." 

"Rhys?" a voice calls, followed by Sasha's head poking through the doorway. "Who are you talking to?" 

"Oh, look. It's the one with the cute butt," Jack says next to him. 

"Uh. You know, just myself?" Rhys tells Sasha, ignoring Jack and pushing his fingers through his hair. He would have thought hiding Jack would be easier with time, but nope, he's still terrible at it. 

"You really do that a lot, don't you?" Sasha enters the room, leaning against the wall across from him. 

"Well. Guess I'm trying to psyche myself up about the plan and all." 

Sasha grins. "Right. 'Cause you're scared of heights. I remember."

"I'm not- I'm not afraid of heights," Rhys protests. Of course it's just his luck that people he thinks are cute always seem to find out about his insecurities.

"Well, back at the dome-"

"That was the- The jungle pollen. Messing. With my head." 

Next to him, Jack snorts. "Wow, kiddo. That was a bad one." 

"Yeah. I know," Rhys hisses at him, prompting Sasha to look at Jack, which for her is just empty space. Crap. 

"You're… You're doing it again, Rhys. Are you sure you're okay?" she asks, and now she looks at him more like she's worried and less like she thinks he's just weird. Rhys can't decide what he dislikes the least.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just… Big day tomorrow, is all." 

"Right," Sasha says, but she doesn't sound convinced. "Look… Rhys… If you need to talk, I'm here. And so is Fiona. We need you at your best." She takes a few steps forward and puts a hand on Rhys' shoulder. Had things been different, had he never found the ID-drive… He probably would have appreciated her concern a lot more and maybe it would even have made him blush. Now it's not so simple. 

"Is she about to kiss you?" Jack asks next to him. "Look, kiddo, I would prefer if that didn't happen 'cause it would be weird and awkward and I'd just rather not see and pseudo-experience it. So either you stop it, or I will."

Rhys sighs and clenches his eyes shut. "Will you just _shut up_ for a second?"  

Sasha yanks her hand away, shaking her head. "I was just trying to be nice, you know. But suit yourself." 

"Wait, Sasha, I wasn't-" Rhys calls after her, but she just flips him off and leaves.

"Nice one, kiddo," Jack tells him, and he sounds like he means it. "She'll keep her Pandoran hands to herself from now on. Sheesh. Talk about desperate."

"Oh fuck off, Jack," Rhys mutters, pushing himself off the bench and beginning to pace back and forth.

Jack gestures with his hands. "Come on, Rhysie, you can't seriously tell me you're interested in that- in that _bandit_?"  

"So what if I was?" Rhys argues. He… He isn't. But what happens if he meets someone who he does get interested in? Will Jack just keep on doing this? Hell, will he even be around that long? Rhys doesn't want to think about that. 

"Uh, hello? I'm stuck in your head? You don't think I should get a say in who you hook up with?" Jack crosses his arms. 

"No! No, you don't!" Rhys points a finger at Jack's face. Then he sighs and drags his hands through his hair, looking away. "Look, Jack… She was just being nice. I'm- I'm allowed to have friends." 

"Friends," Jack deadpans. 

"Yeah." 

"Pssh. You've got me," Jack huffs. 

Rhys lets out a frustrated sigh. Jack has been incredibly helpful, he can't deny that. And he's been around when no one else has, even though he hasn't had much of a choice. Plus, he _is_ Rhys' idol, which honestly just complicates things. But that doesn't change the fact that he's an asshole. "Yeah, I know. But I can have more than one. You don't need to ruin that."  

"When have I ever ruined anything?" Jack protests. 

"Look, just… Don't interfere when I'm talking to people like that. It makes it harder to keep you a secret."

"Fine," Jack groans. "But I'm just trying to look out for you, you know that, right?" 

"Yeah," Rhys sighs. Jack is, in his own way. 

"I trust you, pumpkin, but I don't trust the bandit company you keep. So just do me a solid and let me help you when your judgement is clouded." Jack is close now, head tilted to the side and looking almost gentle. 

"Fine." Rhys kind of wants to argue more, but can't find the urge to do so.

"And when a real hot piece of ass comes around, I'll _help_ you, babe" Jack promises, taking a step back and grinning. It makes Rhys blush a little. "As long as I've got a good feeling about them. We don't want another Stacey or Garrett."  

Rhys doesn't really know what to say. And what can he say, really, when Handsome Jack has basically just promised to be his wingman? He just smiles at him. 

"There we go! You're much better off smiling than pouting. Unless you're gonna channel your pouting into murdering someone, which I would _definitely_ be down to spectate, but I kinda doubt that."  

As sick as Jack's humor - it _is_ humor, right? - can be, it still makes Rhys snort a little. "I wasn't really planning that, no."  

"Well, I won't give up just yet. Plans can always change. Anyway. We good?" 

"Yeah, we're good." Rhys knows he should be able to stay mad at Jack, he really does. But whenever he tries, the anger just kind of… slips away. He would be worried that Jack is somehow manipulating his systems, if it wasn't for the fact that he's always looked past Jack's flaws in the past too. 

"Awesome!" Jack says. "Now let me see if you've got the wallethead."

" _No_."  

"Oh, come on! Just a little peak?"

"No." 

"You're no fun, Rhysie. Here I provide you with  _ hours _ of endless entertainment and you won't even grant me one moment? That's cold. Talk to you later, babe." With that, Jack flickers away, leaving Rhys alone.

There's no telling how long he'll be gone this time, but Rhys eventually figures he might as well take advantage of the peace and quiet and check up on the others. He finds Sasha and Fiona in the caravan, making dinner. The sisters glare at him when he walks through the door. 

"Oh, look," Sasha says, "it's the asshole." 

"Sasha, about before, I-" 

"Save it, Rhys." 

"But I-" 

"Shut up. Or are you the only one who gets to say that?" 

"I'm sorry-" Rhys tries again.

Sasha sighs. "We'll… We'll talk about that later. Let's just focus on the mission. Please?"

"We're not gonna get anywhere if we're fighting each other," Fiona agrees. 

Rhys may be stubborn, but he knows a lost cause when he sees one. Besides, he has no idea how he will explain himself anyway, not without mentioning Jack. "Alright." He scratches the back of his neck, feeling more awkward than usual. "Is there dinner for me too, or…?" 

Fiona and Sasha exchange a look. "Yeah, you can stay," Fiona says. "As long as you promise not to be weird." 

Rhys smiles, but it lacks the confidence he's trying to muster. "When am I ever weird?"

"Pretty much all the time?" Fiona suggests. 

"Yep. All the time," Sasha agrees. 

"Wow, thanks for the support. Really." 

"You'll get support when you stop being a dick," Sasha promises.

"I wasn't-" Rhys begins, but shuts up when they both glare at him again. "I'll… Just eat and then get out of your hair." 

"Sure. But you're doing the dishes," Fiona says.

They eat mostly in silence, and then Rhys is left alone in the caravan to clean up. It's strange how at home he's come to feel in the van, and he thinks it's kind of a shame that they'll be mounting it to two giant rockets tomorrow. 

"You're doing the dishes now, seriously?" Jack asks, almost making Rhys drop the plate he's holding.

"A little warning, next time?" he says, trying to calm his heart down. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But seriously?" 

"Well, they cooked. Seemed only fair." 

Jack groans, poking his hand through the pots that have been left to dry. "I still can't believe you don't have staff for this. No one should be forced to do their own housework after college. Or any manual labor, really. It's just cruel." 

"Not everyone can be rich, Jack." He probably sounds kind of snappy, even though he doesn't want to. There's just so goddamn much going on right now, with Vaughn missing and the sisters kind of hating him and Jack paying more attention to him than Rhys ever thought he would and on top of it all they might die tomorrow. In space. Rhys is just so fucking tired. Apparently Jack doesn't seem to notice and just keeps talking.

"Well that sucks. I mean, not in general because if everyone was rich, being rich wouldn't make me more important than everybody else. I mean I still would be but you get my friggin' point. But, y'know. Right now it kinda sucks. For you 'cause you gotta do it, and for me 'cause I gotta watch you do it. It's visual torture, really."

"Then go back to sleep. Or whatever it is that you do when you're not out," Rhys says, rinsing the plate and putting it away to dry. 

"I'll still know you're doing it. It's embarrassing."

Rhys sighs rolls his eyes. "Then just think of something else."

Jack grins and takes a step back, crossing his arms. "Yeah? Guess I'll have to do that." 

"What?" Rhys never really thought he'd say it, but he's getting a bit tired of Jack's insistency. 

"What?" 

Rhys gestures with his hand, accidentally splashing some water on the floor. "You're acting all weird."

"Uh, no I'm not. You said to think about something else, and I am."

"But you're acting weird about it."

"Look, if it's one thing that I can agree with the bandit sisters on, it's that you're weird, Rhysie. So don't go projecting your weirdness onto me. That won't end well for anybody." 

Rhys shakes his head. Jack seems unusually stubborn, but it might also just be because Rhys is unusually tired. Maybe it's both. Rhys raises his eyebrows at Jack and then goes back to doing the dishes. 

"Are you ignoring me, Rhysie?" 

He is. 

"Wow. Real mature. Quit it. I'm serious. Alright, I'll take it back, you're not weird. Only half-weird. A bit weird." 

Rhys doesn't look up from what he's doing. "Just promise you'll stop messing with me when I'm talking to my friends." 

"You're still upset about that? It was like an hour ago. Come _on._ " 

"Just don't do it again." 

"Ugh, _fine_. Happy now?"  

Rhys doubts Jack will keep that promise, but it's better than nothing. "Yeah." He rinses of the last plate and leans against the counter. "Look, Jack, I'm sorry, I'm just… Kinda stressed out. About tomorrow."

"And I've told you that you don't have to be." The annoyance fades from Jack's voice a little. 

"I can't really help it." 

Jack sighs. "Apparently not. Like I said before, I'm completely positive that the rocket is gonna work. So quit worrying about it."

Rhys apparently doesn't look convinced.

"I'll be with you the whole time, cupcake. There's nothing to be scared of when Handsome Jack is protecting you." 

A blush spreads across Rhys' cheeks. "Guess not." 

"There we go!" Jack says. "Y'know, you've been talking back to me a lot today, good to see your fanboy self is still there." 

Rhys' blush deepens. "I'm not- I'm not a fanboy." 

"'Course you are. I'd be offended if you weren't. Now go get some sleep or something. It's very important that we get back to Helios." 

"I know. Gotta get Gortys' upgrade and open the Vault." At least they have a clear goal. That's something Rhys can work with. 

"Yeah. And more importantly, we need to get to my office. I mean, the upgrade is there, but so's something else." Jack lowers his voice to a whisper. "I've got a surprise for you there."

"You do?" Rhys narrows his eyes. What is he talking about? 

"Yeah. You're gonna love it. Don't let it go to your head." Then he's gone again, leaving Rhys on his own. He has no clue what Jack meant, but he supposes he'll find out once they get to Helios. If they get that far, that is. But he's got Handsome Jack by his side so that has to count for something.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Handsome Jack's office is everything Rhys could ever have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: If you read the first work in this series and skipped the first chapter of this fic, I'd advice you to go back and read chapter one. The first version was written as procrastination and I forgot to fact check some things that actually could be fact checked, which I tried to fix in the updated version. This chapter mentions Angel, and the changes made in chapter one are pretty relevant to that.
> 
> ALSO KIND OF IMPORTANT: Now, this chapter has been kind of weird to write. Partly because I wrote most of it on my phone since I was away from my computer for a week. But also because it deals with the canon scene in Jack's office. I like the dialogue that's already there, and I didn't want to a) change it or b) just copy it straight from the game, so there are some patches of this chapter that have a lot of dialogue from the game that I just didn't bother to write since none of us are here for me just writing down what we all already know. You'll probably notice where I've done it and I hope it works anyway.
> 
> But this is where we actually start with the divergence from canon, so buckle up and let's go!

Handsome Jack's office is everything Rhys could ever have imagined. It's grand and pompous, and most of all it's a homage to Jack's ego. He spends a good few minutes just staring at it, while Jack sits down in his chair.

Rhys walks around it almost in a daze, eventually coming to stand in front of the massive window that covers the back wall. He looks down at Elpis. While he was down on Pandora, he missed having the moon this close. It's nice to have it back where it's supposed to be.

"You ever been down on Elpis?" Jack asks, now standing next to him. 

"No." 

"Well, it's not as cool as it seems. No-atmo definitely sucks." Jack looks at him. "Makes Pandora seem kinda friendly, even."

 Rhys smiles. "Is that even possible?" 

"Nah, not really." Jack turns around, facing the office again. "Damn, it's good to be home though," he says, more to himself than to Rhys, as he sits back down in his chair. 

Rhys turns as well, and his gaze falls upon Jack's desk. It's mostly empty, either because Jack liked it neat or someone has cleaned it out. He guesses it's the former, since he can't really imagine Jack letting someone into his office unsupervised, even after his death. However, the one single personal item on the desk immediately has Rhys' attention. He takes the framed photograph in his hand, inspecting it closer.

"I take it this is Angel?" he asks. It's still surreal to think of Jack as a father, but seeing the picture of this little girl… it becomes more real, somehow. Even if she must have gotten almost all of her looks from her mother. Her eyes are the same blue as one of Jack's though. 

Jack is staring down at his hands. "Yeah, that's her." 

"She's really cute. How old is she?" 

"Eleven, in that picture. She was real easy-going, back then." 

"Yeah? Was it long ago?" 

Jack opens his mouth to answer, but then closes it, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. 

"Jack?" Rhys sets the picture down. 

"I- I don't know," Jack admits, and he seems troubled by the realization. "I mean, I know when it was, but… I have no idea how long passed between me getting put in that ID-drive and me, well, the other me, dying. Heh. I have no idea how old my own daughter is." 

"It can't have been too long," Rhys assures him. "We'll figure it out." 

"Yeah," Jack replies, tense. "We can- We can go see her. Later. She's- Yeah."

"Jack… Are you- Are you okay?" Rhys asks. It's the most unstable he's seen Jack since they went to get Vasquez' face. It seems like talking about Angel gets him like this, and Rhys feels a bit bad for bringing her up.  

But Jack just grins at him. "Come on, cupcake, when am I not okay?" The grin doesn't quite reach his eyes, but Rhys won't comment on that. 

"Alright," he says, pointing at the metal arm sticking out of Jack's desk. "What's this, then?" 

"That, Rhysie, is one fine prototype," Jack begins. He tells Rhys about the endoskeleton, and then proceeds to lead him over to the trophy case. If there's one thing Jack likes, it's to brag, and Rhys doesn't mind listening to him as he talks about the different objects in the case. Eventually though, Rhys figures he'd better get to work and calls Gortys. 

The beacon turns out to not be very hard to find, and soon Rhys is ready to go back down the trapdoor. The fact that opening it requires him sitting down in Handsome Jack's chair is a big bonus, and Rhys would be lying if he said it wasn't like a dream come true. But Jack isn't done yet, and when he offers Rhys to rule Hyperion, he says yes in a heartbeat. 

"Told you I had a surprise for you, kiddo," Jack grins. "Now get me into the system, wouldya?"

Rhys looks to his left and grabs hold of the override port. He's kind of nervous. Jack has been in his head for so long, and the thought of him leaving is a bit unsettling. Though Rhys supposes he isn't leaving, not really, since he'll be in the systems of the entire space station. He takes a deep breath and connects. 

He registers Fiona speaking to him through the comm, and he knows he says something in reply, but all of his attention is on Jack and how goddamn proud he looks. Then the hologram flickers away, and for a second Rhys feels uncomfortably alone before Jack appears on the screens all across the office. 

"Damn it feels good to stretch my legs," he says. His voice sounds strange coming from speakers rather than the inside of Rhys' own head. "I mean, don't get me wrong, your head was cozy and all, but this is just _perfect_. We made it, Rhysie."  

Rhys stands up, looking around. "Yeah," he agrees, "we made it." 

"Now let's make sure the entire station knows about your promotion," Jack says, before accessing the comm network. He announces Rhys as the new president of Hyperion, and during the speech, Rhys feels pride and glee build up in his chest. This is what he's dreamed about for so long. Now he's actually at the top, with Handsome Jack by his side. 

"So," Jack says afterwards, his voice once again restrained to the confines of the office. "How d'you like being the president of Hyperion? Feels pretty badass, doesn't it?" 

"Yeah," Rhys agrees, still processing the fact that Hyperion is _his_. There's a chance he's just dreaming this, right?  

"The surprise ain't over yet though. We'll get to part two in a moment. But first you gotta establish your dominance over these idiots." 

"There's a part two?" 

Jack raises his eyebrows. "I just said so, didn't I? Meh, you know what, we can get to the other stuff later. Part two is the fun part, and I'm all about having fun." 

"Yeah?" 

"Prepare yourself, cupcake, for a sweet little Hyperion miracle," Jack says, and the desk starts moving. 

The full endoskeleton that is revealed is impressive, Rhys can't deny that. But the sight of it also makes something uncomfortable grow in the pit of his stomach. When Jack tells him about its purpose, and more specifically its purpose for Rhys, he realises things were too good to be true. The prospect of an army consisting of dead bandits controlled by Jack's AI is what pushes him over the edge. 

"Jack, this- This is crazy! You can't do this," he tells him. 

"Of course it's not! I mean, just think about it, there'd be a friggin' _army_ of _me_! But we're starting with you, pumpkin. You'll finally become Handsome Jack, just like you wanted."  

No. No. This wasn't how this was supposed to go. They were supposed to rule Hyperion _together_. Jack wasn't supposed to betray him. Rhys stares at the monitor with Jack's face on it, terrified and hurt. He shouldn't even be surprised, really. It's just like it was with his last promotion, only with higher stakes and a lot more to lose.  

"I thought you said we were a team," he says. 

"Well yeah. And you're being a team player by letting me take your body while I'm being a team player by controlling your body when you can't. It's a pretty sweet deal, Rhysie and you know it. Besides, isn't the thought of a Handsome Jack army kinda like a wet dream for you anyway?" 

Rhys does his best to ignore him. "Come on, Jack, _think_ about this for a second. An army like that would only backfire." 

Jack raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "And how would it possibly do that?" 

"Well the- the others, they wouldn't know they were clones of you. They'd think they  _ were _ you. They wouldn't take orders."

"I'd make sure they knew their place, pumpkin. Duh." 

Rhys picks up the pace. He needs to talk his way out of this or he's going to die. "They still wouldn't be content just being soldiers. The presidency of Hyperion? They'd want it. All of them. And if you don't think they wouldn't destroy you to get it, you really don't know yourself." Jack tries to interrupt him, but Rhys just keeps talking. "Besides, you don't want to be just _a_ Handsome Jack, right? You want to be _the_ Handsome Jack."  

Jack glares at him, then shakes his head. "Fine. I see your point. And I appreciate you looking out for me, Rhysie. The army's off. The world probably couldn't handle more than one Handsome Jack anyway." 

Rhys lets out a sigh of relief. He can't die now. Not when he finally achieved his goals. "Thank you. I knew you'd do the smart thing." 

"I always do, cupcake, I always do. The fact that the army isn't happening doesn't mean I don't need your body though." 

"What?!" Rhys tenses again. He shouldn't have taken out his victory that early. 

"Well yeah. You didn't think I'd wanna be a disembodied entity forever, did you? Don't worry though, you'll be dead anyway so you won't really feel any pain. And you'll still be the most powerful guy in the universe. Awesome, right?" 

"No, Jack, _no_. You can't do this. I- Look, I just stopped you from building a catastrophic army. Don't you need me alive to give you more advice like that?" Rhys says.  

"There are thousands of underlings who'd be lining up to do that, and at least some of them would be somewhat competent. You'd just end up being eye-candy anyway, might as well do something useful with your life and be my meatsuit."

"Eye-candy?" Rhys echoes, too baffled to say anything else. 

"Yeah, sure, you're pretty enough. But it doesn't matter, 'cause you're about to become _handsome_."  

"Wait, don't you- Jack, you said you trust me, right?" 

Jack looks surprised by the question. "I trust you not to betray me when we've come this far," he says after a moment. 

"Then don't make me," Rhys pleads. He doesn't know if it's the desperation or the sincerity in his voice, but Jack looks taken aback. Rhys takes it as his cue to continue. "Jack, we were gonna do this together, weren't we? Rule Hyperion and open the Vault? That doesn't have to change. I'll- I'll be completely loyal, I swear. I'll help you get a body, just not mine. Just- We have to do this _together_ , the both of us alive. That's the only term that I got." 

For a long time, Jack is uncharacteristically silent. When he finally speaks, there's determination in his voice. "So you want to be my right hand man, not just my right hand?" he asks. 

Rhys looks down at his cybernetic arm. Of course Jack would joke, even now. He nods anyway. "Yeah." 

Jack crosses his arms. "Then prove you're up to the task. If I don't use your body, how do you suggest I become a real boy again?" 

Rhys looks away, thinking. 

"I hope I don't need to tell you that if you can't come up with something in thirty seconds I'll just have to take that skinny ass of yours anyway." 

Rhys falters. "Thir- Thirty seconds?" 

"Well, closer to twenty, now," Jack confirms with a shrug. A huge, red clock covers most of the screens, digital numbers counting down. 

Shit. Fuck. Think, Rhys, think! 

There has to be a way to do this without anyone dying. Not that Rhys would be opposed to sacrificing a bandit, but Jack would never be okay with using one for his body. Fifteen. It has to be someone he deems worthy. Rhys remembers hearing rumors about body doubles, men who looked and sounded just like Jack, but wasn't him. Ten. But he has no idea if they were true, or where those men are now. It's not like it'd be easy to just make new ones. Five. 

New ones, that's it! Rhys knows that Hyperion has put a lot of resources into- 

"Cloning!" he yells. Two. 

"What's that, cupcake?" Jack says, his attention apparently elsewhere. The clock has stopped though, dangerously close to zero. 

"Cloning," Rhys repeats. "Hyperion has made clones before, right? And- And you must have stored your DNA on Helios before you died. So we make a clone of you, but instead of a normal skeleton, it has this." He gestures at the metal monstrosity in front of him. "And instead of a normal brain it's mostly cybernetic, where you can store your data." The idea takes shape as he speaks, and the more he says the more he becomes convinced it might actually work. 

Jack looks at him, and Rhys has no idea how to read him. "Alright. You've got my attention," he says after a while. "How would you pull it off?" 

"We… We assemble some scientists. The very best Hyperion has. Probably some who already worked with the endoskeleton, if they're still around." Knowing Jack he probably killed most of them when he didn't get the results he desired. "The project has to be top secret, of course. And they'll work until they manage to make a clone of you that's compatible with the skeleton and then you download yourself into your new body. Since you're Helios now you can probably watch the whole process to make sure nothing goes wrong. In the meantime, I'll help you run the station, and step down from the presidency once you're back." He gives Jack an expectant look. This better convince him. 

"Well then, Rhysie. We've got a deal." 

"Really?" Rhys almost doesn't dare to believe it. Not after the shit Jack just pulled. 

"Yeah, but it's off if you keep gaping like a fish." 

Rhys shuts his mouth. "Thank you, Jack. You won't regret this." 

"I'll just kill you if I do so don't sweat it."

"Right."

"Well then, pumpkin, let's see if we can get started on making me a new body. I'm sick of not having one." The desk returns to its original form, but it's more imposing now that Rhys knows what's hidden underneath. 

"Yeah. Sure," Rhys says, still a bit shaky as he sits down in Jack's chair again. The dopamine calms him down though, and it's with determination that he pulls up Jack's computer screen. "Mind giving me access? Or do I need to hack it?" 

"Oh? Right." Jack waves his hand and the computer boots up. 

_ Hello Handsome, _ the screen greets him and Rhys logs in to his Hyperion account. Right away he starts scouring the databases for employees, making notes of every worker that could possibly be relevant to the clone project. Like he thought, only half of the original scientists from the endoskeleton project are still alive, but he puts the remaining ones on his list. Later he will add those who've worked in cloning before, as well as the top names in robotics, programming and medical. It's a long and tiresome process, but it's made easier with his new access.

It's remarkable how much information is at his fingertips, now that nothing is restricted anymore. Nothing save for… "Hey Jack? What's the 4N631 project?" he asks. "I can't access it but in case there's someone who worked on it that could be of use now… Jack?" 

Jack's face has disappeared from the screens. 

"Jack?" Rhys tries again. "Where'd you go?" His voice echoes against the walls of the office. It seems more empty than grand right now. 

He's left alone for an unnerving eight minutes and twenty three seconds, too unsettled to do any work. Did he do something wrong? He was so sure he'd convinced Jack. Was this whole rule-Hyperion-thing just a big mistake? Maybe Jack has changed his mind and is having a laugh while secretly watching Rhys realize it? The dopamine chair is likely the only thing keeping Rhys from having an anxiety attack right now, but he's stuck in a weird limbo where he feels like shit one second and feels amazing the next. He's debating whether to just stand up and leave when Jack shows up again. 

"Jack," he sighs, relieved. 

But Jack looks even worse than Rhys feels. "It's not pronounced the 4N631 project," he says before Rhys has time to ask him if he's alright. "It's the- It's the Angel project." 

"Angel?" Rhys asks. "Like…?" 

"Yeah." He looks up at Rhys. "She's, uh- She's dead, Rhys. And I didn't even know about it." He laughs, but it's cold. "Isn't that just fan-fucking-tastic?" 

"I'm sorry to hear that, Jack. I really am." Rhys stands from the chair. The dopamine just feels wrong now. "I… Is there anything I can do?" He sits down on the desk instead, closer to Jack's screen. 

"Not really. She… Heh. She kind of hated me, as it turns out. I did everything I could to keep her safe and she betrayed me anyway. Sold herself out to Vault hunters and they killed her for it. I… I apparently vowed to get revenge, but… Helios' records say that the very same Vault hunters ended up killing me instead. Funny, right?" 

"I'm sorry, Jack. I can't even imagine what it's like." 

"It fucking sucks," Jack tells him. "But hey, at least I figured out how much time I'm missing. I uploaded my consciousness once a month, to be sure, and the version Nakayama had - this version, me, whatever - was made a month and a half before Angel's death. There are only three more uploads after that, so I've got most of my memories at least."

"That's a good thing, right?" Rhys offers an encouraging smile. "Are you… Are you gonna download the more recent versions?" He kind of doesn't want him to. That Jack might be different, and Rhys isn't sure how to deal with another version of him. 

"I thought about it. But knowing that Angel is… gone, I… I'd rather not have the memories of actually seeing her die." Jack looks so vulnerable right now, and Rhys finds it hard to believe he's trusted many people with that side of himself. He wishes he had some way to comfort him. 

"I understand," he says. "If… If I can do anything… You just let me know, okay?" 

"Yeah. Just… Get back to work, pumpkin. I need some time. But once I'm back, once I'm _really_ back… I'm gonna get my revenge on those damned Vault hunters. And you're gonna help me." 

"Whatever you need," Rhys says, even though his stomach twists a bit at the thought. "We're a team." 

"Yeah, Rhysie," Jack agrees. "We're the best team there is."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you insane?" Fiona asks. "You brought a homicidal maniac back to where he can start to wreck Pandora all over again? What were you thinking?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, the titles are borrowed from the song Talk by Eliza and the Bear. Great song, great band, you should give them a listen!

Rhys eventually gets back to work. There are plenty of resources to assemble, and he has a feeling that Jack won't be happy if he takes longer than necessary. While Rhys looks for scientists and workers, Jack seems to be going through the systems of Helios, now and then muttering something about how stupid the average Hyperion worker is and how reckless they have been with the station in his absence.

"Oh will she just  _ shut up _ for a second?" he says after a while. Rhys doesn't pay much attention to it until Jack calls his name.

"Hm?"

"Tell your little bandit friend to be quiet, wouldya? The adults are working up here. Been blocking her signal but she just doesn't give up, does she?"

A moment later, Rhys' comm feeds him static for a fragment of a second, before Fiona's voice starts spilling into his ear.

"-ill you myself, I swear. What are you  _ doing _ ? You're such an asshole."

"Thanks," he replies, wondering why he didn't notice the radio silence before. Maybe it was the death threats from an unstable AI.

" _ Finally _ ," Fiona says. "Why didn't you answer? And what the hell is going on?"

"Uh. Jack was blocking the signal. We had some… things we needed to discuss."

"Yeah? Like you taking over Hyperion? And I thought Handsome Jack was supposed to be  _ dead _ ."

Right. That little detail.

"Well, he is. Technically."

"He didn't sound very dead when he announced your damn presidency."

Rhys sighs. "He's an AI. He was in that ID-drive I used. And I've brought him back to Helios."

Fiona is silent for a moment. "Are you  _ insane _ ?" she asks then. "You brought a homicidal maniac back to where he can start to wreck Pandora all over again? What were you thinking? You know what? Don't answer that. I should have figured you were just doing this for your own gain."

"Fiona, look, he's  _ helped _ us. I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for him, hell, I wouldn't even be  _ alive _ . And you might not be either."

"Oh, so just 'cause he got you out of a sticky situation or two he's a saint? I don't know what they teach you here at Hyperion, but every person down on Pandora knows that Handsome Jack always has an ulterior motive."

"He doesn't-" Right? Jack can't be having any other motives than wanting to take back Hyperion. Not anymore. Rhys would have figured it out.

Fiona's voice becomes a little bit gentler, but she still sounds stressed. "Look, whatever he's told you, he's been manipulating you, Rhys. That's what he does. So grab the beacon and get back down here while you still can."

Right. The beacon. Gortys. The Vault.

Between getting to rule Hyperion and almost becoming Jack's meatsuit, Rhys sort of forgot about his original purpose for going to Jack's office. His gaze shifts to the beacon now, where he placed it on the desk. He kind of wishes it could just disappear. He already has everything he wants. But… Without it they can't open the Vault. And without it he can't go back to Pandora, which he needs to do if he wants to see Vaughn again. Shit, how is Vaughn even doing? Rhys hasn't heard anything since the message right before he faced down those accountants. Vaughn had said something about drakefruit, but the reception had been too bad to make out much else before the call cut off. Is he even still alive? He has to-

"Rhys?" It's Jack's voice that pulls him out of his thoughts. Rhys blinks and looks up at the screen. "I don't like that look on your face there, pumpkin. You better not be thinking about doing what she asks. We made a deal."

"Yeah, no, I just… I need to get back to Pandora, Jack. I need to find Vaughn. And I have to finish this business with the Vault."

"We made. A deal," Jack repeats and Rhys recognises the threat in his voice right away.

"I know," he assures. "But even if we get a team together today, it'll still take them a while to figure out how to make a body for you, let alone actually have it made. In the meantime, I might as well deal with this. I mean, it's not like the others are just gonna forget about the Vault and just leave us be."

On the screens, Jack shrugs. "Meh. We could just kill them all, and deal with the Vault later."

"No! Jack, we are not killing my friends."

"Oh, so they're your friends now? From what I've heard they just like to insult you. I personally can't stand it when people insult me, and you shouldn't either. It doesn't make you seem very much like a leader."

"If it wasn't for them, neither of us would even be here."

"Nuh-uh, Rhysie. If it wasn't for the two of  _ us _ , neither of us would be here. Credit where credit's due."

Rhys sighs, sensing that that part won't be worth arguing. "Just… please don't kill them, alright?"

"Ugh,  _ fine _ ," Jack groans. "But you don't consider Moustache and Melty-face your friends, right? 'Cause I'd rather not have them on my space station. Having those ugly faces around makes my skin crawl. Or, well, it would, if I had skin. You get my point."

"Vallory's thugs? I wouldn't call them friends, no-"

"Good. 'Cause I kinda just killed both of them. Look." One of the screens show the live feed of one of Helios' many surveillance cameras. Finch and Kroger are both lying on the floor, blood pooling beneath them. On the other screens, Jack is grinning. "Neat, right?"

"...Right." If Jack had to kill someone, Rhys figures he should be glad it was those two.

"Never even knew what hit 'em. I mean, not as fun as seeing someone shit themselves outta fear before you kill them, but a surprise kill is fun in its own way." Jack lets out a happy little sigh. "Next time I'll make sure you get to see it too, pumpkin, don't want you to miss out on all the fun."

Rhys wonders if he can set up some sort of anti-killing firewall into Jack's AI without him noticing it, but he deems it way too risky before he lets the thought go any further.

"Don't worry though, babe. Hat-girl, nose-ring-boy and the one with a crush on you are still fine. And the cute little robot, of course. Speaking of, they're like really desperate to talk to you still. Welcome to fame and presidency, Rhys."

His comm goes back online again, but no one is saying anything on the other end. "Uh. Hello? Fiona?"

"Oh, so the mighty ruler of Hyperion decides to honor us mortals with his presence again. I'm so flattered," Fiona replies.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Jack keeps shutting off my ECHO," Rhys tells her.

"He's an AI, can't you just shut him down or something?"

"That's not how it works."

"Nuh-uh, not happening," Jack says at the same time, even though Fiona can't hear him.

Frustrated, Fiona sighs. "Just come down here, will you? We need to go."

Rhys closes his eyes. Why is he faced with so many important decisions today? It's not fair. He takes a deep breath. "No."

"That's my boy," Jack says.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Fiona asks.

"I mean I'm not gonna come down with the beacon. Hyperion is  _ mine _ now, Fiona. I'm not gonna ditch it the first thing I do. Jack- Jack and I have a plan. We're still getting the Vault, all of us, just- Give me some time first? There's no hurry."

Fiona is silent for a moment. "Did you forget about Vallory?" she asks then, "She's gonna kill us all when she finds out about this. And- and- and Vaughn! Your friend that I'm pretty sure you dragged into this whole mess, you just gonna leave him down on Pandora?"

Why does she have to hit him where it hurts the most? "I'm not leaving him. I'm not. And we've got resources to deal with Vallory now, it'll be fine. We just- We need to not stress this. We'll come up with a plan. And then we'll go for the Vault."

"What happened to the guy who makes up his plans as he goes?" Fiona asks, and Rhys doesn't need to see her to know she's raising her eyebrows.

"I… got promoted?"

"Yeah well you're still the biggest asshole I've ever met. What are we supposed to do in the meantime, huh? Just wait around here on the prison level?"

Jack chuckles to himself. "There are plenty of cells there, if they're looking for housing."

"No, no, just…" Rhys looks around the room, trying to think. "The starboard side of the station is mostly apartments. I'm sure there are some vacant ones."

Fiona scoffs. "I'm sorry, Rhys, but we're not exactly in the Hyperion house market."

"Fine. Go back down to Pandora and hang out with Vallory. I can come up with a plan on my own."

"Just send us the location of the goddamn apartments," Fiona sighs. "But we are not done talking about this. And if we don't deal with the Vault as soon as fucking possible and if you try  _ anything _ at all… You're gonna regret it." With that, she turns off her comm, leaving Rhys in silence. Or as much silence as there ever is when Jack is around.

"I think she's a bit upset with you," he points out.

Rhys rolls his eyes. "Wow, really?"

Jack ignores him. "Just so you know, pumpkin, I'll keep an eye on them, make sure they don't try anything on their way to their new home. Which is a hundred percent temporary, I might add. They're not staying a second longer than we need them to."

Rhys looks up at him. "So we're dealing with the Vault first?"

"Ugh, I guess, yeah," Jack groans. "But keep working on the clone team. Once you're done with that, you assemble a Vault research team. Well. Reassemble it, since I used to have one before."

Rhys nods and returns his attention to the computer in front of him, before he stops himself and looks at Jack again. "What are you gonna do?"

"Me? I'm gonna keep fixing all the shit that's gone wrong since I left these kids alone. You have no  _ idea _ how much they can mess up when unsupervised. And I'm also gonna put your Loader Bot friend into some new hardware. Walking on its arms like that is great entertainment for the rest of us, sure, but it won't be too useful in a fight. Normally I'd just scrap the thing, but you seem attached to it so see this as a token of my incredible kindness, alright?" Jack's image disappears from the screens again after that, a clear sign for Rhys to get back to work and so he does.

It's not the type of work Rhys is used to, but after a while he has compiled two lists of employees, one for each project. He figures they're gonna need some sort of guidelines as well, so he writes down the goals for each project: The Hyperion worker bees are at their best when they have clear instructions on what to do. He'll have to ask Jack about specifics and funding later. And clearances. He also types together an announcement to those involved, telling them when and where to show up for the introductions tomorrow. He keeps it vague, knowing that Jack will probably want to make a dramatic speech and scare them a little. Or motivate them, depending on how you look at it.

Satisfied with what he's done, he yawns leans back in the yellow chair. With the eternal night of space around him, he can't really tell the time, but it feels like it's been ages since he slept. "Jack?" he calls. "You wanna go over the list of people before I tell them they're on the project?"

Jack's face shows up on the screens again. "Already did, cupcake. Looks good to me. Unless you changed your mind and want to take the endoskeleton yourself? 'Cause that'd be a lot quicker-"

"No, Jack."

"I'm just sayin'-"

"No. We've been over this. You agreed."

Jack rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just teasing you."

"Hilarious." Rhys stifles another yawn.

"Well, what can I say? I'm the king of comedy. I'm the king of a lot of things, really." He grins at Rhys before narrowing his eyes. "You look kinda shitty, by the way."

Rhys snorts. "Wow. Thanks." He shakes his head. "It's… been a long day."

"Then get some sleep. This company is gonna cost you a lot of nights, so you gotta take the ones you can get, trust me."

Rhys nods. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess I'd better get back to my apartment."

"Your apartment?"

"Yeah. To sleep…?"

"Rhysie, Rhysie, Rhysie… You're the president of Hyperion now. Soon to be vice-president. You can't just keep living in your old apartment. That does  _ not _ signal power."

"Do you have any better suggestion?" Rhys sighs.

"'Course I do. There's a VP suite right on this floor."

"There is?"

"Yeah. Technically you should have the top floor since you're president and all, but I'd rather not have you go through my things 'cause I'll want them in order when I get back. So the VP suite it is."

Rhys blinks, still a bit confused. "Uh. Sure."

"Well, what are you waiting for, pumpkin? Let's go!"

"Right." Rhys stands, taking the beacon with him. He figures it's best if he keeps an eye on it.

"Yeah, just… keep walking down the hallway," Jack tells him. "I'd say follow me but it's kinda hard to do that when I don't have a body. Man, it's gonna be nice to get that back."

Rhys does as he's told, and the doors to Jack's - their? - office slide open. Only once he's stepped through them does Rhys remember what Fiona said about the security measures and his heart jumps up into his throat. He could have died. At least Jack seems to have been thoughtful enough to turn the security off, since Rhys hasn't vaporized. Woken up by the fear, Rhys picks up his pace, the tired sluggishness of his steps gone for the moment.

There are no screens in the hallway, but Jack keeps talking to him through the speakers. "I can't wait for tomorrow," he sighs. "It's gonna be great."

Rhys stops once he reaches a larger room, which cannot be anything other than the main room of the Handsome Jack VIP tour. One wall is covered with familiar paintings of Jack in various scenes, and across from it…

"Is that… Is that Butt Stallion?" Rhys asks, a bit starstruck. The diamond horse stays frozen, looking just as expensive as it must have been.

Jack sighs. "Yeah. Poor girl. Hopefully she'll get back to normal once I do. Pet her a bit for me, will ya?"

Rhys nods and reaches for the horse's neck, giving it an awkward pat. He still can't really believe that this was actually a living horse at one point. "See you around, Butt Stallion," he says before resuming walking.

"I've already cancelled the tours, of course," Jack tells him. "Can't have idiots running around here while we work. But I'm thinking the paintings can stay. Gives the room a nice touch, wouldn't you say?"

"Sure," Rhys agrees. God, he hopes Jack never finds out about the posters he used to have.

"We gotta fix the one your bandit buddy messed up though. Anyway, take left here by the elevator."

Rhys turns left. It's not far, and soon he's standing in front of a door with the sign "Vice President's Quarters" above it.

"I take it this is it?" he says.

"Congratulations, cupcake, you can read!"

Rhys would have glared at Jack, if he only knew where to glare at.

"But yeah," Jack says, and the doors slide open. "Don't party too hard, I want you back in my office bright and early tomorrow. You can get new furniture and shit later, but tonight you'll have to make do with whatever the last guy left behind. I killed him ages ago, since he was about as useless as a sack of shit. Night night!" Jack doesn't say anything else after that, so Rhys steps into the apartment.

No. Calling it an apartment would be insulting. The place is  _ huge _ . He's immediately faced with a spacious living area, with couches and screens and… is that a bar? Rhys shakes his head and walks through it. He finds a kitchen and a dining room, a study and a bathroom. The whole place has the Hyperion color scheme, but with some personal touches from whoever the last guy was. Even though the thought of taking a dead guy's home makes Rhys a little uncomfortable, he can't deny how amazing the place is.

If he wasn't already sold, he definitely is once he finds the master bedroom. It's bigger than the entirety of his apartment down in the lower starboard. It's connected to a large bathroom and to a walk-in closet that he has no idea how anyone could ever have enough clothes to fill. And the bed?

The bed is soft and absolutely fucking  _ wonderful _ . Rhys doesn't want to stand back up to even take of his shoes. He manages to sit up, however, before he falls asleep. He pulls off his boots and vest, tossing the items on the floor next to the bed. He can deal with that tomorrow. He also makes a mental note to get his clothes from his old apartment, and his towels and bedsheets. He may be okay with taking a dead guy's suite, but sleeping in a dead guy's sheets feels somehow like crossing a line.

Either way, that is something Rhys can deal with tomorrow. He figures the line isn't crossed as long as he sleeps on top of the sheets instead of in them. It's a damn good bed. And a damn good place to live. If the VP can live like this, he can't even imagine what Handsome Jack's private floor must be like. Enormous, probably. And pompous. Even more so than the office. Not to mention luxurious. Rhys chuckles into the pillow. Jack probably sleeps on silk sheets or something. Or slept. When he was alive. Will sleep, if everything goes according to plan. He tries to push the tenses out of his head since he's too tired to make any proper sense of them.

He can't seem to push Jack out though, the thoughts of him more persistent than usual. Maybe it's because he scared Rhys half to death multiple times today, or maybe it's the promotion. Maybe it's the fact that he's finally out of Rhys' head and Rhys' brain is just trying to compensate. Rhys lets out a quiet groan. He's trying to sleep, dammit. He can deal with Jack in the morning.

It takes a while, but soon enough his brain calms down enough to let him doze off. And if Jack ends up featuring in his dreams despite his best efforts, well, that's nothing that can be held against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a slow chapter with little action, I'm afraid. But one that needed to happen nonetheless. Chapter 5 won't be up for another two weeks though, because I'll be without my computer again. But hopefully I'll manage to write it in the meantime so that I can post it right away when I get back!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The task before you is probably gonna be the most important thing you've ever worked on, and it's crucial that you succeed: You're gonna help me bring Handsome Jack back to life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while, mostly because I've been stuck at work and sleeping terribly at the same time. I don't really like how this chapter came out, but I also just want to publish it and be done with it. So... I'm sorry? Both for the wait and the poor quality. Hopefully you'll at least like some parts of it.

Rhys doesn't want to wake up. He is more comfortable than he's been in a long, long time, and he really needed the rest. Yet, he finds himself drifting back to consciousness, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings as he blinks awake.

Where is he…? Right. The Vice President's Quarters. 'Cause that's who he is now. The President slash Vice President of Hyperion. That's a real thing that happened and yesterday wasn't a dream. A small, almost hysterical little laughter escapes Rhys' lips before he sits up on the bed. Wow.

He rubs his eyes with his flesh hand. He's still pretty groggy, but he does know that he needs a shower and a change of clothes. It's tempting to just use whatever is in the suite, but he knows he'll just regret it later. Borrowing a dead stranger's underwear isn't and will never be on his list of things he wants to try. That does, however, leave him with the only option to travel through almost all of Helios to get back to his old apartment to get his things.

Resigned to his fate, Rhys gets off the - wonderful, soft,  _ amazing _ \- bed and puts his boots and vest back on. He makes his way through the suite and out through the doors. He's sure he saw a fast travel station somewhere on the floor yesterday. His stomach rumbles, the sound loud in the otherwise silent hallway. Rhys supposes he will have to pick up some breakfast too. Though he would rather not, given what a mess he must look like at the moment. He pushes a hand through his hair, trying to tame it but probably just messing it up even worse.

He finds the fast travel station soon enough, and is relieved to see it hasn't been shut down in Jack's absence. He chooses the destination closest to his old apartment, and soon feels his body dematerialize. No matter how often he's done it, he still isn't wholly comfortable with the sensation of being taken apart and put back together.

From the starboard station he travels to, it's only a short elevator ride up to Rhys' old apartment. He meets some people on their way to work, but Jack doesn't seem to have broadcasted his face anywhere (yet) and no one pays him any real attention. A few people do make sure to keep their distance from him, but Rhys figures that's just because he needs a shower.

It's strange to see his apartment again, after the recent events. It offers a weird normalcy that somehow manages to not seem normal anymore. He can't imagine he could just go back to living here, doing his old job. Not after everything that's happened. Rhys has changed, and not just because of his new position at Hyperion.

"Sorry, pal," he says to the apartment. It feels… appropriate somehow.

Rhys goes into his bedroom, grabbing a bag and stuffing it with as many of his clothes as he can fit. Another bag he fills with towels and toiletries. He looks at his bed and groans. His sheets will never fit on the new bed. He gives the sheets the finger before grabbing some personal mementoes from the room as well. He'll have to come back for the rest of his stuff later, but in the meantime he'd like to have the framed photo of him, Vaughn and Yvette with him. As a reminder of old times, if nothing else. He avoids looking at the closed door to Vaughn's bedroom on his way out.

Once he gets back to his new place, although it's still strange to think of it as his, Rhys goes straight to the shower. Getting to wash off all the Pandoran dirt and grime feels like heaven, and he can't really decide if the bed or the water pressure is more enjoyable. Also? Clean clothes are very under-appreciated. When he steps back into the bedroom, he feels a lot more human than he did earlier, although he's still pretty hungry. But his good mood fades when the screen in his bedroom shows him Handsome Jack's face. He should have figured Jack could access the systems in here too.

"What happened to 'bright and early', huh?" Jack asks him, his arms crossed over his chest.

Fuck. "Uh. I had to- I had to shower. And get my stuff. And I kind of forgot to check the-"

"Relax, pumpkin, it's fine," Jack interrupts Rhys' rambling. "Since it's technically your first day, I'll forgive you. But I don't like waiting, so get that ass of yours to my office."

The screen goes black after that. Looks like Rhys won't be getting any breakfast after all.

He's halfway proven wrong when he enters Jack's office and is immediately asked, "How d'you take your coffee, cupcake?"

"With milk," Rhys replies, still a bit confused. But in the time it takes for him to get to the desk a mug of coffee has landed on it. "Is this- Is this for me?" he asks.

Jack raises his eyebrows. "No. It's for me, the guy who doesn't have a body yet. Of course it's for you, dummy."

"Uh. Thanks," Rhys says, having absolutely no idea why Jack would bring him coffee. It doesn't seem like him.

"You'll need something if you're gonna deal with morons the whole day," Jack explains. "Trust me, facing a new team without some caffeine is like begging for a headache. And since you're representing me now, I need you at your best."

Okay. That makes sense. Sort of. Rhys takes a tentative sip of his coffee. It turns out to be pretty damn good. Must be a perk of the job.

"Anyway, don't take too long. The clone team is meeting down in the R&D labs in like ten minutes. Which means you should be there in twenty. Nothing says authority like being fashionably late. And maybe executing someone when you get there."

Rhys coughs on his drink, almost getting some through his nose. It looks very attractive, he's sure. "I'd rather not," he says once he's cleared his throat.

Jack sighs. "We'll have to work hard on that one, won't we? If you're gonna be at the top of Hyperion, you need to be ready to kill some morons, cupcake."

"I'm not sure if I-"

"Lucky for you though, I have turrets all over Helios. Someone pisses me off, I'll deal with them myself."

Well, at least that means Rhys doesn't have to shoot anyone. That has to be a good thing, right?

"Do we bring the endoskeleton down to R&D?" he asks as he's finishing his coffee.

"Nah, not yet. They'll have to make do with blueprints and models at first. Don't wanna risk them blowing it up. I whipped together a neat little holo-view of it though. You done, cupcake?"

Rhys sets his cup down. It was almost empty anyway. "Yeah."

Jack grins at him from his screens. "Then let's get going."

A team of twenty-something people are waiting for Rhys  when he arrives at R&D. Most of them are wearing lab coats and chatting with each other, still seeming a little nervous that their new boss hasn't showed up yet.

When he enters, the room goes silent and all eyes turn towards Rhys. He's glad he picked some of his better clothes when he got dressed earlier. "Hi," he says. Smooth.

He clears his throat. "So. Anyway. I'm Rhys. The new boss. And, uh, I've handpicked this team, because I believe you're the most skilled people in your fields." That puts a smile on some of the faces. Handsome Jack can't have complimented them very often. "The task before you is probably gonna be the most important thing you've ever worked on, and it's crucial that you succeed." Some get a bit pale at that, likely remembering what Jack used to do to people who failed. Rhys smiles. "So, I'm guessing you're wondering what it is you're gonna be doing. Well, wonder no more. You're gonna help me bring Handsome Jack back to life."

The reactions are mixed. Some seem happy, almost ecstatic at the thought of getting their old CEO back, and they even get to help with the task. Rhys would have been just like them, not too long ago. And some seem worried, scared even. Life on Helios hasn't been as dangerous since Jack left, and they might have gotten comfortable with the recent safety.

One of the latter raises her hand. Rhys gestures for her to speak.

"With all due respect, sir, how are we supposed to do that? It's been months. Revival isn't medically possible." A few people nod, a few others look offended that she would dare to say such a thing. And yet another few are smiling, likely putting together at least a few options, depending on which projects they've worked on before.

"Excellent question," Rhys says. "And the answer requires three components. First, we need a clone. Handsome Jack had his DNA collected and stored here on Helios, and with that I don't think it should be hard to grow a clone in a lab, right?" Again, he receives a few nods and a few confused faces. "There's a catch, though. The clone won't be having a normal skeleton, but this:" A hologram of the endoskeleton appears in his palm, and he sends it to a bigger projector in the center of the room. "It's a metal endoskeleton, originally made by Professor Nakayama, on Jack's orders. It was supposed to be an immortality device, but as some of you know, there wasn't a way to equip it without dying. I'm hoping it's gonna be easier to merge it with the clone before it's actually alive.

"But just a clone with a metal skeleton wouldn't be Jack, would it? Yesterday he announced me as the new president of Hyperion. What you heard wasn't a recording, but a fully developed AI of Jack. A digital ghost, if you will. And he's going into that clone."

Jack chooses that moment to replace the hologram of the endoskeleton, grinning down at the employees. "Damn right I am, Rhysie. And I'll also oversee the whole project, so don't any of you try anything funny. Or I'll kill ya. Or Rhys might, depending on where we are with that."

The crowd stare at Jack, wide eyed. Some look like their biggest dreams have come true, others look nervous or scared.

Rhys' sudden confidence has faded, and he's stumbling on his words again, now that he's sharing the stage with Jack. "So, uh. We're both counting on you people to do a perfect job here. If you have any ideas, questions or suggestions you can ask either of us, but we expect you to run this mostly on your own. With frequent reports, of course."

"Come on, kiddos, show some excitement," Jack says. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of gig." He raises an eyebrow that manages to look both expectant and threatening. The crowd cheers.

"Anyway," Jack continues. "We're off to do other important things, us being busy guys and all, but we expect a time plan at the end of the day. I want my body back and I want it soon. Come on, Rhysie, let's go."

Rhys could point out that Jack is both nowhere and everywhere at the same time, but he stays quiet as he goes through the door, leaving the team to their own devices.

"That was a pretty neat little presentation there, cupcake, did you rehearse that?" Jack asks once Rhys is alone.

"We had improv lessons in drama class," Rhys explains.

Jack laughs, but for once it doesn't seem all that menacing or cruel. "That's cute. Really, it is."

"Do we meet up with the Vault team now?" Rhys asks.

"Yeah, but we need that cute little robot for that. I'd get her myself but hat-girl probably wouldn't let me and I promised I wouldn't kill her so… you'll have to do it."

"I- I have to go talk to Sasha and Fiona?" Rhys' heart drops into his stomach. He is not looking forward to seeing them, not after everything that's happened since they landed on Helios.

"Just get the robot and get out. It's not that complicated, pumpkin."

"Yeah, but- Ugh, fine," Rhys agrees, realizing Jack might be right. That doesn't mean he's not dreading it though.

He manages to grab himself a sandwich on the way back to the starboard side, finally getting to sate the hunger that's been gnawing away at his stomach. Jack keeps chatting with him as he walks, but switches to Rhys' comm instead of using the speakers. 

"I miss food," he complains. "I mean I don't miss having to eat, 'cause that takes time that I can spend doing something more important, but I can't taste anything like this and it's  _ boring _ . Oh I'm gonna eat so much when I get back. Ice cream. Steak. Oh yeah. And I'm gonna drink. Like, I'm gonna get completely shitfaced." Jack sighs, and Rhys imagines he has that dreamy look on his face, like the one he gets when thinking about killing people. "I've got an amazing stash up at my place, the good and expensive stuff. We're gonna crack it open, just you and me and some hotties, it's gonna be  _ great _ ."

Rhys isn't sure what partying with Jack would be like, and he can't tell whether he's nervous or excited to find out.

"This conversation is feeling pretty one-sided, babe," Jack points out.

Rhys swallows. "I'm eating."

"Yeah, and don't you think that's kinda selfish of you? I mean here I am telling you how much I miss food and you're eating anyway. Talk about shoving it into my face, Rhysie."

"Well, you know, I need food to live, so…"

"Meh. Living's overrated. Been there, done that. Bought the entire gift shop."

"Aren't you kind of trying to get back to living though?"

"And aren't you a friggin' smartass." The scowl in Jack's voice is audible, and Rhys finds it kind of funny.

"You're just not used to people talking back to you yet," he points out. In all honesty he isn't used to talking back to Jack either, and can only do it right now that Jack isn't visible.

The comment earns him a scoff. "And you're apparently not used to the fact that I can kill you whenever I want."

Rhys narrows his eyes. "You wouldn't."

"No?" The turret closest to Rhys activates and and points at him. A few people nearby walk a little faster to get away from it.

"Come on, Jack, that's not funny," he says, his heart beating faster.

For a few seconds there is only an anxious silence. Then the turret deactivates and Jack laughs in his ear, sharp and loud. "You should have- you should have seen your  _ face _ ," he wheezes.

"Really. Not funny."

"You thought I was gonna- That I was gonna- Ah, come on, cupcake, you know I'd never-" Jack's laughter fades and he sighs.

"You did try to strangle me when we first met," Rhys points out, his heartrate slowly returning to normal.

"That's  _ different _ . You're seriously still hung up on that?"

"Not really. Just- The turret wasn't funny, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Buzzkill."

Rhys shakes his head and keeps walking.

The apartment the others have been sent to turns out to be very much like the one Rhys and Vaughn used to share, though located on a different floor. The door opens for Rhys when he arrives, another apparent perk of being the Vice President. The main room of the apartment is empty, save for Sasha.

When she sees Rhys, she stands from the couch, crossing her arms over her chest. "Guys," she calls, "we've got a visitor."

August emerges from one room, Fiona and Gortys from another. Everyone but Gortys seem hostile and for a second Rhys wonders if he really did the right thing when he accepted Jack's offer.

"Oh, hi Rhys!" Gortys says and waves. "Look at this new place we got!" Then she looks at the others' sour expressions and catches herself, putting her hands on her hips. "Oh, right, I forgot that we're mad at you. I don't really know why, but I'm sure you did something  _ very _ bad."

Rhys clears his throat. "Um. Right. Sorry… about that?"

Sasha scoffs. "You think sorry's gonna cut it? You screwed us over, Rhys. Big time."

"I haven't screwed you over!" he protests. "I've just… gotten a little extra bonus."

"You allied yourself with Handsome Jack!"

"So what if I did? I'm trying to fix things!"

"Yeah, and locking up your friends is a really great way of doing that."

Fiona steps forwards. "Rhys. If you really want to fix things, just get the beacon and we can all get out of here. We can go back to the original plan, summon the Vault, find Vaughn. It's not too late."

"Don't you see that we have an opportunity here?" Rhys asks. "With Finch and Kroger gone, we can cut Vallory out, easy. I just have to say the word and we'll head to Pandora with a small army fighting for us, all thanks to Jack and Hyperion. And- And once we do get the Vault, we can be prepared! I mean, who knows what's actually inside it? Without a Vault hunter we wouldn't stand a chance. Let me research it, let me give us the upper hand. I just need to borrow Gortys for a-"

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Sasha interrupts, and Rhys notices the disapproving and disbelieving looks on the others' faces. "I almost thought you were better than this company, but I guess I was wrong."

"Sasha-"

"Let us out of here and give us a shuttle. That's the only way you can fix things now."

Gortys takes a step towards Sasha. "But we haven't gotten the beacon yet. We can't leave without it!"

"She's right," Fiona agrees. "We've already come this far." She turns to Rhys. "Just give us the beacon. Or come back to Pandora with us. If the Vault matters more than Hyperion to you, we can still be partners."

"That's what I've been trying to say!" Rhys points out, annoyed. "We will open the Vault together. But we need to be  _ prepared _ . It won't take long, just- just let me borrow Gortys for a while, yeah?" This conversation is spinning further and further out of his control and he just wants to get away from it.

"Like Hell we will," Sasha says, and Gortys, who has been beginning to cross the room towards Rhys, stops. "She's the only leverage we've got, she stays right here."

Rhys is about to argue, when the speakers crackle to life. "Wow, Rhysie, you seriously underestimated how much these idiots dislike you, huh? Guess we're gonna have to do this my way then."

"No!" Rhys protests, but the turrets have already been lowered from the ceiling and are pointed at the Pandorans.

Fiona, however, reacts faster than he does.  Before Rhys knows it, she is standing in front of him with her arm raised. It takes him a moment to register that Fiona is pointing her gun to his forehead.

"Put the turrets away, Jack," she says, but keeps her gaze locked on Rhys. She looks fierce and angry, but Rhys imagines he can still see a glimpse of their friendship in her eyes. She doesn't want to do this. At least he hopes not. "Put the turrets away," Fiona repeats. "Or I- Or I will shoot your puppet in the head."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger! Because I'm mean like that. B)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I mean it, Jack," Fiona continues. "I will shoot him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY
> 
> This took like three times as long as I told you guys it would. But this chapter didn't really agree with me and I've had a lot going on with work, cosplay and with my personal life, so I guess that's my excuse. I'm not too happy with how it turned out but at this point I just want it published and done with. Ugh.

"Come on, Fiona, we- we don't need to get violent," Rhys stammers, hands raised. He can feel the cool metal of the gun pressed against his forehead. He's imagined his death in a lot of different ways, but being shot by Fiona has never been one of them.

"Shut up," Fiona tells him, squeezing her eyes shut for a second. Behind her, Sasha and August are looking worried and unsure. It seems like despite her dislike for Rhys, this isn't the way Sasha was expecting the situation to turn out. Though Rhys can't help but think that if Sasha had a gun of her own, she would have had it pointed at him since he walked through the door.

"I mean it, Jack," Fiona continues. "I will shoot him."

Through the speakers, Jack scoffs. "No you won't. And you seriously need to take a course in threatening people, sweetie. I can have like a bazillion bullets in you before you even have time to pull the trigger. And even if you did have the courage to shoot Rhysie here, what would stop me from just shooting all of you afterwards? I mean, he's the only reason I haven't yet!" He chuckles, and it echoes through the otherwise silent room. "You really didn't think this through, did you?"

"I was kinda hoping you didn't want to lose your boytoy," Fiona says through clenched teeth.

"I'm not anyone's  _ boytoy _ ," Rhys protests. "I'm not even- How would that even-"

"Shut. Up," Fiona repeats, pressing the gun closer to Rhys' head.

"Listen, Hat Girl, if you wanna shoot him, that's fine by me. I'd be happy, even. But like I just said, you people are only alive because he asked me nicely not to kill you. And if he's not alive to pout about me shooting you, well, you can imagine what I'm gonna do. Spoiler alert: I'm… I'm gonna shoot you. So much."

"Hey, um, I have an idea," Rhys says. "How about we all just put our guns away, huh? No one shoots anyone? Doesn't that sound just great?"

Fiona glares at him. "Ohmygod, Rhys, what part about 'shut up' is it that you can't understand?" However, she must agree with him on some level, because she does lower her gun. It's pointed at Rhys' chest now, which still isn't ideal, but he'll call it progress.

"Hey," August says, speaking up for the first time. "Didn't you hear him? Kill Rhys, and we all die."

"And what do you propose we do, huh? Just hand over Gortys?" Fiona snaps.

"What other choice do we have? I don't know about you, but I wanna stay alive."

Sasha sighs. "I… I hate to admit it, but… I think August is right, Fi."

Rhys nods. "I'll come back with Gortys later, we just need her help a bit."

"I'd love to help, if I can!" Gortys points out.

"Ugh,  _ fine _ !" Fiona groans, waving her gun in the air. "Take her. But if you try anything, I'll- You're gonna regret it." She knocks the gun against Rhys' chest for emphasis.

"Really?" Jack says. "Come on, don't be so reasonable, I wanted to shoot you!"

"Jack," Rhys warns, "please not right now." He just wants to put a wall between himself and Fiona right now.

"Anyone ever tell you you're like, really boring, cupcake?"

"Yeah," Rhys sighs and heads for the door.

"You're also an asshole!" Fiona offers before the door closes.

"I've heard that too!" Rhys calls back and shakes his head. He's messed things up with these people and he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to fix it. Which sucks, because they were almost friends. After Yvette's betrayal and Vaughn's disappearance, he doesn't really have anyone else. Well, there's always Jack, but Rhys doesn't really know if Jack is even able to think of other people as friends. Speaking of…

"Hey, Jack?" he calls as he starts walking to the elevators.

"Mhm?" Jack has resumed speaking through Rhys' ECHOcomm.

"You weren't- Uh, you weren't really gonna let her shoot me, right?"

"Meh. I thought about it."

"You thought about it." Rhys doesn't know why that bothers him. It shouldn't, given that Jack has tried to actively kill him before.

"Sure. Then I could have gone back to my original plan of using your body, and I could have gotten to kill those bandits. Would have worked out pretty nice."

"But you didn't."

"No. 'Cause I'm nice like that. Or, y'know, I'm not  _ nice _ , 'cause that'd hurt my public image, but we're partners, pumpkin, and that means I've got your back."

"Thanks. I guess."

"Are you talking to your mean friend?" Gortys asks then.

"He's not- He's not really mean," Rhys defends. "But yeah, I'm talking to him."

"Does he know where Loader Bot is? I haven't seen him in a while and I kinda miss him."

"Aww, does she have a crush on the Loader Bot?" Jack asks. "Imagine that: A forbidden love story between Atlas and Hyperion. If Atlas didn't suck so much, it'd be kinda cute. But yeah, the Loader Bot is waiting in my office. Figured letting that thing tag along would motivate her or something like that. And with a bodyguard, you can avoid having a gun pointed at you like that, so that's a plus for you, I guess."

Rhys smiles at Gortys. "He says LB is waiting in his office."

"Loader Bot has his own office?"

"That's not what I-"

"Wow, that's so cool! I can't wait to see it!"

Rhys sighs and figures there's no harm in not correcting her.

When they get to the office, Loader Bot is there, just like Jack promised. However, his hardware is brand new, and once again bright Hyperion yellow. It's good to see that he's not falling apart anymore, but Rhys has to admit that he kind of misses the pink skulls that got painted during their roadtrip.

"Hi Loader Bot!" Gortys greets, running up to embrace his legs.

"Hi." He gives Gortys an awkward pat on the head.

"I love your new office!" Gortys continues. "Though I would personally get rid of those statues, they're pretty ugly."

Jack clears his throat, appearing on the screens. "First of all, this is  _ my _ office. And second, the statues are tasteful and handsome."

"Oh. So Loader Bot doesn't have his own office?"

"Not really," Rhys confirms, wincing.

"Oh," Gortys says again, frowning. Then she pats LB's knee. "Don't worry. If you work hard enough, I'm sure you'll climb the corporate ladder one day!"

Jack snorts. "She's starting to sound like you, cupcake."

"There are cupcakes?" Gortys asks. "I wanna try one!"

Rhys sighs. "Hey, Gortys? Peace of advice: Unless Jack here is giving you instructions about something, or asks you a question, just ignore him. It'll make life a lot easier for all of us, trust me."

"Okay!"

Jack frowns. "You can't just tell people to ignore me. Not cool, pumpkin."

Rhys just shrugs. "I'm just exploiting my privileges as the Hyperion President while I still can. And hey, I'm not doing anything you wouldn't do."

"Anything I- Let's just go meet up with the Vault team," Jack scoffs.

"If you say so," Rhys agrees with a smirk. "Come on, Gortys, LB, it's time to go."

"Go where?" Gortys asks as she follows Rhys back towards the elevator.

"It's… It's sort of like your new job," Rhys explains. "Some people are gonna need all the help they can get with researching the Vault, and no one knows it like you do."

"Oh, okay. I think I can do that," Gortys replies, a smile on her display.

As they arrive at the other labs they find that a similar group of scientists has gathered, these also showing both looks of excitement and of worry. And it's not surprising, since there's no telling what a new assignment might mean at Hyperion, after all.

Whether it's because he's already held one speech today, or whether he's still shaken from being threatened by Fiona, Rhys decides to throw his cares away and steps up in front of the scientists without any trace of awkwardness.

He clears his throat.

"Alright. I've had a weird day, so let's make this quick. My name's Rhys, and I'm the one who's in charge of Hyperion at the moment. Handsome Jack will be back soon enough, and he's keeping an eye on all of us until he returns. You'll be reporting back to either him or me, via the ECHOnet." Rhys pauses, looking out over the faces of the scientists. They seem a bit stunned, apparently not expecting him to be so forward. He shakes his head and continues. "You're all here because you know something about the Vaults. We're going after the Vault of the Traveler, but we need to be as prepared as possible, to avoid an… incident, like with the Vault of the Warrior. It's up to all of you to find the safest and most successful way to retrieve whatever's in that Vault. But you'll have some help. Gortys?"

Rhys gestures with his arm and the little robot comes rolling towards him, with LB close by. "Everyone, meet Gortys. She's the result of all the research that Atlas had on the Vault, and she's also the key to opening it. She'll be answering all your questions." 

"Hey, everyone!" Gortys greets, giving a cheerful little wave.

Noticing some uncertain and almost frightened looks amongst the scientists, Rhys follows these looks over his shoulder, gaze landing on LB. Right. He's spent so much time around the Loader Bot that he forgets how unnerving its presence can be at first. "This is Loader Bot," he clarifies. "LB, for short. He'll make sure nothing happens to Gortys." It's not a threat like Handsome Jack would have phrased it, but the scientists seem to grasp the need to be careful anyway.

"Hi," Loader Bot says, the red light blinking just the slightest.

"So," Rhys concludes, clasping his hands together, "does anyone have any questions?"

He's met with silence.

"Great! If you wonder anything about the Vault, ask Gortys. If you wonder anything about this project, ask me. And don't work too slow on this, you want to be done by the time Handsome Jack comes back."

Some of the scientists' eyes widen, and then they start to turn to each other, likely to discuss the project and elect a few leaders, but also probably to gossip a little. Rhys can't really say that he cares which, as long as the work gets done.

Once the attention has been diverted from him, Rhys sighs and rubs his temple. He can feel a headache starting to set in and he knows he just needs to get away from these people, away from everything, for a while. He approaches LB, bumping his fist against his arm.

"Hey, LB, I'll… I'll be in my office. If you need anything."

"Yes," the bot replies, and Rhys knows he won't have to tell him to watch over Gortys.

Rhys throws a final glance over his shoulder at the researchers before he leaves the labs. This whole Vault business better be the right thing to do.

There's a fast travel station just outside the labs, which he takes back to the top floor. As he walks towards the office, his steps feel heavy and robotic, and he's pretty certain that if there were any bystanders around, they'd tell him he looks half dead. Groaning a little to himself, he walks through the door through the office, and hesitates. Even if the dopamine chair would probably help him right now, Rhys decides to instead head for the couches closer to the door. He flops down in one, leaning his head back.

"Fuck," he groans, rubbing his hands over his face. A strand of hair gets caught in the crevices of his metal hand, and he winces as it gets pulled from its root.

Just a day ago, things were fine. Well, they weren't fine, but they weren't this messed up either. Rhys feels like he should probably be grateful for the position he's landed himself at Hyperion now, for where he stands with Jack, but… At the same time, it has rendered him completely alone, he's properly realizing that now.

Gortys and LB are bots, so they don't really count, as friendly as they might be. Yvette betrayed him. He screwed over Fiona and Sasha. And Vaughn is fuck-knows-where on Pandora, probably dead.

And then there's Jack. He's a maybe-memory, maybe-fabrication, so Rhys isn't sure if he classifies as a real person either. And even if he does… Rhys knows that Jack cares more about his own goals than about Rhys. It's not surprising, not at all. Jack's determination has always been something Rhys admires. But right now, when Rhys is where he is? When Jack's actions have a direct effect on him? He kind of wishes Jack was a more considerate person.

Then again, Rhys just kind of wishes none of this business with the Vault had ever happened. Not just the key they stole from Vasques, but the Vault of the Warrior as well. He misses when his biggest dream was getting to talk to Handsome Jack one day.

"You look like shit."

Speak of the devil.

"I know," Rhys replies, not opening his eyes. He's too tired.

"Ready to kill someone yet?" Jack asks. "Nothing cheers me up like a little bloodshed."

"No. No killing."

"Ugh. You're still no fun. But I guess there's hope for you yet. You handled the Vault Team pretty well. Personally I would have embellished a little, and added some threats, but you're a beginner at this so I'll let it slide. At least you didn't stutter."

Rhys opens an eye, gaze locking onto the lowered screen displaying Jack's image. "Um. Thanks," he says. Is this Handsome Jack's way of being nice?

"Hey, uh, you haven't changed your mind about killing the bandits, right?"

Rhys frowns, opening his other eye as well. "No. I still don't want them dead. They're my-" Friends? His thoughts from a minute ago keeps him from finishing the sentence.

"Oh, come on, Rhysie," Jack protests. "You don't need them! You've got this badass office, you've got the coolest company in the galaxies, and you've got me."

"Do I really though?" Rhys asks before he can stop himself. He crosses his arms over his chest. "'Cause you being fine with Fiona shooting me? Doesn't really feel like having you in my corner."

"You're still upset about that? Let it go, pumpkin." Jack's eyes get just a little bit darker. If that's even possible in his blue, translucent state. Either way, Rhys feels it.

And yet, he keeps being stubborn and stupid. "I will," he says, "if you promise you won't do it again."

Jack raises an eyebrow, and his mouth twitches. Is this amusing to him? Given that it's Jack, the answer is probably yes. "Alright. I promise. Your safety is top priority, princess."

"You don't have to say it like that."

"'Course I do. You'll just keep whining about it if I don't."

"I don't whine," Rhys protests, but it's only halfhearted.

Jack is silent for a beat before he tilts his head and frowns. "Are you… okay?" he asks. It sounds strange, coming from him, and judging by his expression he knows it too. Handsome Jack isn't the type of person to ask that sort of question. He barely sounds like he knows how to form the words.

Maybe it's because Jack seems so uncertain. Maybe it's simply because it's Jack. Either way, the "I'm fine," Rhys had on his tongue dies before it's spoken, giving room to the honest reply instead. "Not really," he admits, glancing at Jack before squeezing his eyes shut again and rubbing his temple.

"Why not? I mean, you've just gotten everything you wanted." It's not taunting or rude, Jack just genuinely seems to wonder.

Rhys opens his eyes for a moment. "Yeah," he chuckles, but it lacks joy. "And in the process I lost everyone who gave a damn."

"What, the bandits? They were just that, Rhysie: Bandits. They were gonna screw you over sooner or later, might as well get them to show their true faces  _ before _ you got attached to them. Well. More attached to them. I know you kinda had a thing for Dreads. And- And the little guy, the one with the weird muscles, the, oh what's his name-"

"Vaughn."

"Yeah, Vaughn, that's it. He's- I'm sure he's fine. His tracker stopped moving but that doesn't have to mean anythi-"

"His tracker?" Rhys echoes. He may be feeling a bit detached at the moment, but that at least got his attention.

"Yeah, the tracker in his Hyperion ID. Nothing as fancy as your arm though, so he probably just did the smart thing and ditched it. What I'm saying is, just 'cause the tracker stopped moving, it don't mean he's dead. We'll find your friend, make him vice something-something, everyone'll be happy."

"You really think he's fine?" Rhys asks. He registers how void of emotion his voice is. He should be hopeful, or worried, he thinks. But he can't really bring himself to feel much of anything right now. Except for the tiredness.

Jack seems to take notice, but also doesn't really seem to know what to do about it. He offers a smile. "This is where I'd pat your shoulder or something, If I had my, uh, corporeal form. But Jack's got your back, yeah?"

"Yeah."

Jack sighs, then smirks a little. "I'd pour you a drink too, I guess, but again, no hands." There's a pause in which Jack gives him a look that Rhys can't quite decode, before he continues. "Look, I know it's in the middle of the day, but take a nap or something. You're usually not so hard on the eyes, but right now? A skag could look more charming."

There's both a compliment and an insult there, but Rhys registers neither. Instead he just blinks. "A nap? Yeah. Sure." He pulls his feet up and lies down on the couch. It's soft, really soft. Probably cost more than his old apartment. Not that he would expect Jack to own anything else.

"I know you feel like shit right now," Jack says. "And you probably will continue to, for a while. But things'll get easier. And you'll quit worrying so much. Trust me."

Rhys closes his eyes and hopes Jack is right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you can arrange it, it would be for the best that Handsome Jack doesn't hear what we have to say."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this proofread? No. Is this beta read? Nope. Has this received even the smallest amount of editing? Nah.
> 
> Uni has started again, so I'm kinda busy, but I'll try to keep updating this when I have the time and inspiration!

The next two weeks pass by without any major incident. Rhys receives updates from the research teams at least once a day, and everything seems to be progressing as it should. He spends most of his time in the office, and in his new apartment once he's settled in better there. It's rare, but it does happen that he takes a walk around Helios, just to feel a little bit more like a human being.

There's no sign at all from Vaughn, but Rhys tries to tell himself that that doesn't have to mean anything.

Fiona and Sasha don't say much either. Not after they asked about Gortys and Rhys told them that she would stay in the office for the time being, instead. It was Jack's idea, reminding him that if he had to go pick up and drop off Gortys at the apartment every day, the girls would have plenty of opportunity to pull a gun on him again. He didn't word it exactly like that, his version being way more excited about the potential bloodshed, but that is the way Rhys prefers to think of it.

This means that aside from the ECHOnet messages about the Vault and Jack's new body, and short conversations with various staff, Rhys hasn't really had much human contact.

Well, aside from Jack.

The nature of their relationship has become a bit different, now that Jack isn't trapped inside of Rhys' head. He shows up whenever he wants to, and not only because Rhys has landed himself in a sticky situation. That's a good thing, Rhys supposes, since he doesn't find himself in situations like that very often these days, what with being on the top of the Hyperion food chain and all that. Of course, him thinking that that's a good thing has to mean he wants to see Jack often.

And maybe he does.

It's natural, he tells himself. There's still a lot left of the hero worship he used to have for Jack, even if he sees him more as a person than as an untouchable hero now. And on top of that, Jack is the closest thing to a friend Rhys has these days. Of course he wants to see him.

And given the frequency of Jack's visits, maybe - just maybe - he wants to see Rhys too. Which would be kind of incredible, because Handsome Jack actually wanting to hang out with Rhys? Wow. Rhys is still fanboy enough to be kind of amazed by that. Even though Jack has sort of tried to kill him a few times. But that's fine.

Of course, it's possible that Jack could just be bored and not really have anyone else to talk to either, and that's the sole reason he shows up. But hey, a guy can dream, right?

Right now, Jack is throwing his head back in laughter, trying to tell Rhys about his latest AI shenanigans.

"...and when he didn't? I- Ah, I-" Jack has to pause to laugh. "I got the turrets down and blew his brains out! Hah! Man, you should have seen it, cupcake, it was  _ hilarious _ ."

Rhys still hasn't been able to wrap his head around how killing people is hilarious, but Jack's killing sort of doesn't bother him as much as it used to. It's just who he is and whoever gets in the way of that is just unfortunate. That Rhys thinks that way is probably a bit disturbing on its own, but at least he's self aware.

"Guess he should have done his reading," Rhys says, leaning back in the chair. He should get back to work, but since he's his own boss these days, he figures it can wait.

Jack snorts out a laugh. "Yeah. Hyperion's been slacking off while I've been dead. Figure I'm gonna have to discipline it all back to normal once I get back. Won't be too much of a hassle though, I just gotta throw some people out the airlock now and then." Here he pauses and gives Rhys a look. It's… intense, and a bit inquisitive. Almost on the verge of being uncomfortable. "You wanna try?"

"Try?" Rhys echoes, and he knows he sounds dumb.

"Sending people out the airlock," Jack clarifies, a grin forming on his lips. "Come on, Rhysie, it'll be fun."

"I- No thanks." That's a border he isn't willing to cross.

Jack groans. "Ugh. Why are you like this? Live a little!"

Rhys is about to reply when he's interrupted by the message alert of his ECHOcomm. He looks at Jack for a second before raising his hand and activating the holoscreen. He has two new messages from Doctor Mei Simon, the head researcher of the Cloning team. Rhys isn't sure exactly what it is she's a doctor in, but he figures she has to be competent enough, since the others put her in charge.

Jack looks a bit grumpy from being ignored, but Rhys tries not to mind him and opens the oldest message. It reads:

_ Hello Sir _

_ There is a slight complication regarding the project we're working on. It's nothing that endangers the possibility of fulfilling the project, but I think it would be best if we could discuss the issue in person. If you would come down to the labs whenever it suits you, that would be much appreciated. _

_ Thank you _

_ Dr. Simon _

The message doesn't worry Rhys too much. Both projects have had their ups and downs, and usually a message like this just means they need a fresh perspective, or a morale boost from seeing the boss walk around and look at their work. Back when Jack was in charge, the boss visiting usually meant that someone would lose their head, but most of the workers seem to have understood by now that Rhys' visits are actually intended just to oversee the project.

Rhys stands, honestly rather relieved to have a reason to go outside for a bit (or as outside as you can get when on a space station). He is curious about what the second message might be though; Doctor Simon is usually pretty organized and tends to keep her thoughts collected. He opens it.

_ Sir _

_ If you can arrange it, it would be for the best that Handsome Jack doesn't hear what we have to say. _

_ Dr. Simon _

Rhys frowns at that. If she has something to hide from Jack, it has to be bad enough that he would be tempted to kill her. Not that that's a far stretch for him, but it still has to be a bad thing.

"Well?" Jack says from his screen.

Rhys looks up at him. "Oh? Uh, nothing, really," he lies. "They just need my input down in the labs."

"Can't they just send you whatever and you can look at it up here?"

Rhys shrugs. "Apparently I was needed in person."

"You're the  _ boss _ , pumpkin. You're needed when  _ you _ decide you're needed."

"Well I decide that I'm needed then," Rhys sighs, and starts walking towards the office door. "It won't take long."

"You suck," Jack calls after him, but the words sound more like banter than venom.

"Go spy on people, or whatever it is you do for fun. I'll see you later," Rhys replies, relieved that Jack hasn't insisted to take part in the discussions downstairs. Still, on his way there his heart is beating faster than normal. Just to be safe, in case Simon has something very bad to say, Rhys hacks the security in her office, preparing the audio and video feedback to loop. Just in case.

His heart has somewhat returned to its normal pace by the time Rhys arrives to the labs. He takes a deep breath and walks through the doors. Whatever it is Simon has to tell him, it can't be that bad.

It doesn't take long to spot the Doctor, as she is wrapped up in an intense conversation with a few of her colleagues just a few feet from the doors. As soon as she sees him, she excuses herself from her colleagues and approaches him.

"Rhys, Sir. I didn't know you'd show up so soon. Though I'm glad you did," she greets, her Hermes accent giving her words that slightly sharper tone to them.

"Well, I wanna see this project through, so if I can help, I will," Rhys replies, offering her a smile. "Should we talk in your office?"

"Yes, I suppose that would be best," Doctor Simon sighs, and turns around, gesturing for Rhys to follow her.

Once the door has closed behind them, Rhys tells his program to start the loop on the security system. "So. What seems to be the problem?" he asks.

Simon pushes a strand of dark hair behind her ear and sighs. She leans against her desk, not meeting Rhys' gaze. "We can't complete the project the way you want us to."

Fuck. Shit, fuck, damn. Rhys takes his earlier thoughts back. It can, indeed, be that bad. Without the body that he's been promised, Jack is without a doubt going to go back to his earlier plan and kill Rhys. Everything was riding on this plan working as intended. Without it? Rhys is beyond fucked.

"What are you-"

"We can still do it," Simon is quick to assure. What? "We can still get Handsome Jack his body back, but we cannot do it the way it was planned."

Rhys doesn't understand. At all. "Doctor Simon, if you would-"

She looks up. "I'm sorry if I'm saying this the wrong way, Sir, it's just- It's the endoskeleton that we can't incorporate."

Rhys' heart, that seems to have stopped at some point, takes a beat. "What are you saying?" he asks.

Doctor Simon pulls up a bunch of designs on the holoscreen on her desk. "We've run simulations, we've made prototypes… There simply isn't a way that allows us to put an endoskeleton, or even a version of it, inside a body and still maintaining that body alive. The skeleton would fill its purpose, yes, but the body would decay around it, it would not be… pleasant. Not to mention the inevitable scarring from inserting the skeleton, since we cannot create a body around it. It just isn't within our scientific understanding nor ability."

Rhys drags his hand across his face. It's not as bad as he thought it was, but it's still very, very bad. Jack will want blood for this. "So what do you suggest?" he asks.

"Well, the purpose of the endoskeleton is to make the body invulnerable, yes?"

Rhys nods.

"So we propose genetic enhancement. Make the bone sturdier, but still bone. Same with the cartilage and organs. This way it would still be a biological body that we can grow in a lab, but it will make him far more resistant to damage. What killed him last time would need to punch twice as hard to accomplish it again."

Rhys squints. There's nothing negative about that, which means… "What's the catch?"

Simon clenches her jaw a bit, her face going a bit paler. "Aside from the fact that it's not what Handsome Jack had in mind, for which he might just kill all of us."

"He won't," Rhys promises, even though he's in no position to do so.

"You can't know that," Simon tells him, calling him out on his bluff. Yet, she knows there's nothing to be done about it. "The major catch though, is that with a completely biological body, we would need to convert most of his conscience to a biological one as well. He'd still need a neural port like yours, to upload him into the body, but it would mean he can no longer be an AI in control of Helios, unless he decides to keep an active copy of himself. And there's- Well I suppose that's enough of a catch, isn't it?"

"And how long would it take to grow that body?" Rhys asks.

Doctor Simon seems taken aback by the question. "A month, at most."

"Is it safe?"

"It appears to be, yes."

"Then proceed. I'll talk to Jack."

Doctor Simon opens her mouth as if to say something, then closes it again.

"What's on your mind?" Rhys wonders.

She closes her eyes and sighs before speaking. "He will kill people for this, I know. I'm not asking you to stop him, because I know no one can, but is it possible… Never mind."

"Is what possible?"

She appears to steel herself. "Can you guarantee the safety of myself and my family, at least?"

Rhys looks at her, and he understands her. This part of the galaxy doesn't reward anyone for being selfless, after all. "I can do that," he promises, and this time it's earnest.

Doctor Simon nods. "Thank you, Sir. I appreciate it."

Rhys gives her a smile. "Was there anything else you needed help with?"

"No, thanks. We've got the rest under control."

"Then I guess I'd better go talk to Jack." Rhys can't help the nervous chuckle that escapes him. He's probably going to die.

"Good luck," Doctor Simon tells him.

Rhys gives her a tight smile before he leaves her office.

On his way back, he returns the feeds of the doctor's office to normal, praying to whatever deity that may be out there that Jack hasn't tried to keep an eye on him. When he passes through the doors to his own office again, it feels like every single muscle in his body has tensed up into tight knots.

"Look who's decided to honor us with his presence again," Jack says to the otherwise empty room. Always one for the dramatic. "How did it go in the labs? Was it boring? Terribly unsatisfactory? Incredibly torturous? And I don't mean the fun kind of torture." On the screens, his arms are crossed in front of his chest. He doesn't seem angry though, more like a child that's grumpy about having been left without his toys.

"It was… okay," Rhys replies. His voice is as tense as the rest of him, but he's hoping Jack won't notice.

"What'd they want? Or, more to the point, how's my sexy new body looking?"

"It's- It's still early in the development. There wasn't really anything to see yet."

Jack groans and leans his head back. "Ugh! What's taking those idiots so long? It can't be that hard to put a metal skeleton in a clone, you just gotta cut it open and- wooosh, immortal Jack!"

"About that-" No. No, what is he doing? Rhys shuts his mouth so fast that his teeth will hurt tomorrow.

But it's too late. Jack is looking at him now, squinting. "What?"

"Nothing." Rhys is looking about, his gaze trying to settle on anything that isn't Jack.

"That doesn't look like nothing, babe. What aren't you telling me?" Jack's voice has taken on a darker tone now, the one that means his finger is very, very close to the trigger.

"There were… complications?" Rhys tries.

"What kind of complications?" The threat doesn't let up.

Rhys sighs. He can't lie his way out of this one, especially not to Jack. "They need to change the plans."

"They need to  _ what _ ?!" Jack's voice is booming through the speakers, any louder and they might break. "You better have a damn good explanation for this,  _ Rhysie _ ."

"It's not as bad as it sounds!"

"Not as bad as it- You freakin' moron. God, I can't believe I let you be in charge of this, of  _ course _ you'd fuck this up."

"Jack-" Rhys tries, but Jack won't stop talking.

"I'm gonna spend the rest of my life, the rest of this space station's life, as a disembodied AI, do you have any idea what that's like, Rhys? At all?"

" _ Jack- _ " Rhys tries again, to no avail. The only reason he hasn't just accepted his fate is because the turrets still haven't been lowered.

"I guess you can't trust anyone, huh? God, I'm an idiot. I mean, not as big of an idiot as you, but still," Jack continues, still talking over Rhys.

"You'll still get a body!" Rhys yells, trying to make himself heard over the speakers.

At last, Jack seems to hear him, or maybe he heard him all along and he's just now granting him his attention. "What?" he asks, guarded, but more calm now than a second ago.

"I said they needed to change the plans, not cancel them entirely. Just- Just listen to me, okay?"

"I'm listening." Jack crosses his arms again.

"They need to make it more organic," Rhys explains, the words rushing out of him. "No endoskeleton, they can't put that in a living body, but they'll genetically enhance your skeleton and internal organs to be more damage resistant. Basically immortal, just like you wanted. The only downside is you'll still have an organic brain, and you'll download yourself to it with one of these," he taps a finger against the port on his temple, a small nervous laughter escaping from his lips, "and it worked out fine before, right? There'll be some process to convert your data to organic material, I think, but you'll have fun control over the body. You'll be more human than me."

"And you didn't think I should get a say in this?" Jack asks. His face is still hard, but he doesn't look quite as murderous as he did a moment ago.

"I…" Rhys averts his gaze. "I just figured it'd be best if you heard it from me, is all. It seemed reasonable so I told them to go ahead with it, the sooner the better, right? But if you want them to find another solution I can-"

"No." Jack takes a deep breath. Rhys isn't sure why, since an AI doesn't really need to breathe. "No, that won't be necessary. It sounds like a reasonable plan. But I do want to look it over myself." Jack seems calm again, almost defeated. Then he looks up at Rhys, and Rhys has no idea whether the slight pain he can see in Jack's eyes is real or an act. "We're supposed to be a team, you and I. Don't keep secrets from me."

Rhys nods. "I won't."

"Good," Jack says. Then there's a sudden shift, and Jack is back to his snarky, confident self. "Alright, but when you were downstairs? I went over to the Hub of Heroism…"

Rhys eventually relax as Jack keeps talking, though he can't really get it out of his mind that whatever it is that he has started here on Helios, there's no turning back now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The clone is ready. They want us to come down to the labs."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! As per usual this is barely proofread, but hey, figured I'd throw this chapter out here anyway, so you won't think I've abandoned it. I'm pretty busy these days though, hence the not-so-frequent updates.

_ Rhys, Sir, _

_ We're ready. Come see me in the labs. _

_ Dr. Simon _

Rhys stares at the message on his holoscreen. In the months he's been back on Helios, he has almost begun to forget that this day would eventually come. The day that Jack's new body would be ready.

He should be relieved, really. He will have kept his promises to Jack, and Jack will no longer threaten to kill him in order to take his body. But… what if things change? He's grown comfortable with being at the top of the ladder, with being Jack's friend. What if when Jack doesn't need him anymore, Rhys will just be cast back down to where he came from?

A heavy knot settles in the pit of his stomach. While he does dread what might happen when Jack gets back, he can't help but also be excited. Handsome Jack will be  _ back _ . Not just an AI version of him, but an actual, in the flesh, real Jack.  And Rhys is still a bit of a fanboy. It's weird, not being able to tell if the nervousness that's twisting in his gut is of the good or the bad kind.

Rhys is still staring at the holoscreen when the hologram of Jack pops up in front of him. After a while Jack got tired of being on screens all the time, and had holographic projectors installed in several parts of Helios. It was a bit strange at first, and reminded Rhys on when Jack was stuck in his head, but he's used to it by now.

"'Sup."

Rhys looks up at him. "Uh. Hi." He needs to tell Jack about the progress, but he can't really bring the  words to his tongue.

"I see your IQ still hasn't improved. But it's fine. We're watching a new ECHOnet show today, by the way. I'm bored and it seems interesting. Lots of blood."

Rhys nods. "Right."

"You know, it's about time you got rid of your squeamishness. Once I'm back there's gonna be like, blood all over this office most of the time. Well, I'll have it cleaned almost as often, I guess. Can't have blood of the lowlives on my pretty couch, now can we?"

"Right," Rhys says again. Once Jack is back. That's no longer an abstract concept. It's soon. Very soon.

"What's with you today? This convo's feeling pretty one-sided, sweetheart."

Strange, how Jack never notices how much he's talking when someone is  _ trying  _ to interrupt him, but now that Rhys is begging for him not to notice his silence, he picks up on it within a minute.

"Rhys." Jack snaps his fingers, and then glares at them when they don't make any sound. "What's gotten into you, pumpkin? Snap out of it." His voice goes sharp and commanding at the end, and Rhys' head jerks up, his eyes looking into Jack's. "There we freakin' go," Jack says. "Wasn't so hard, was it? So: What. The hell. Is up. With you."

"You are," Rhys replies, dazed, then shakes his head. "I mean, you're up. You're ready, the team, the clone-" He stops himself before he keeps blabbering too far. He takes a deep breath. "They say the clone is ready."

Jack's face goes from annoyed to surprised to shocked, and then to something that Rhys can't quite place. He looks away for a few moments, until he meets Rhys' gaze once more. "Say that again," he demands.

Rhys swallows. "The clone is ready. They want us to come down to the labs."

Jack lets out a laugh then. First short and almost disbelieving, before it turns into a full-belly laugh that has Jack leaning backwards. There's a hysterical hint to it, but Rhys values his life so he'll pretend he doesn't hear it. As Jack's laughter quiets down, he looks at Rhys and gestures out with his arms. "Well? Come on then, what are we waiting for? I'm getting my body back!" The audio is cut off as Jack disappears, hologram flickering out of existence. Rhys takes a deep breath and sets off towards the lab.

By the time he gets there, he finds Jack standing in front of a window. The window is showing off another, smaller room. Along the stark white walls are benches of various medical equipment that Rhys couldn't name even if he tried, and in the middle of the room there's a single, narrow bed.

Laying on the bed is the body of Handsome Jack, looking more peaceful than Rhys thinks Jack has actually ever been. The body is bare, save for a sheet covering it from the hips down to the knees. Attached to it are a few needles and tubes, hooked up to IVs and monitors. A screen on the far wall is showing a steady heartbeat, and another is showing a dull image of a brain and neural system. It's odd, to see Jack there, both alive and not.

The weirdest part though, is Jack's face. There's a small head-port on his right temple, but that's not what catches Rhys' attention.

Jack doesn't have a mask.

Rhys should have figured, really. It's not like Handsome Jack was born with a mask attached to his face, after all. Still, it's strange to see him without it. His maskless face seems more naked than his unclothed body, somehow.

Rhys blinks then, looking from the empty clone in front of him, to the hologram at his side. Jack – the real Jack, the one he has come to know – is staring at his clone with unblinking eyes. As per usual, Jack's face is difficult to decode, but Rhys has never seen so much emotion in his eyes as he does in this moment.

Part of him wishes he could put a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder, but the other part of him reasons that Jack would probably have shot him for it anyway. So he clears his throat instead, causing Jack to turn to look at him. "Are you ready?" Rhys asks.

"Yeah," Jack says, without controlling his voice. He sounds breathless, vulnerable. Until he catches himself and coughs, his voice almost back to normal. "Hell yeah. Let's do this," he grins.

As if on cue, Doctor Simon approaches them. She seems nervous, and not like she was expecting Jack to be there as well. "Rhys, sir, Handsome Jack, sir," she greets, her voice just on the professional side of shaky. "You've seen the clone. Shall we go over the procedure?" After Rhys nods, she continues: "Alright then. My office?"

They follow her. Or, Rhys follows her, while Jack just flickers into the office. Once there, Simon pulls up some images on a holoscreen. It shows an x-ray of a full skeleton, as well as some samples of what Rhys suspects could be tissue.

"As you can see," Doctor Simon begins, "the body's skeleton has been successfully genetically modified to be sturdier, several times stronger than normal bone." She points at the x-ray image and some numbers, while Jack seems to listen intently. "Same goes for skin and flesh, though of course not as dense. It can still be cut and shot, but is resistant to blunt damage." She goes on for a while longer, until she pulls down the images. Rhys has never seen Jack this focused before.

"Now, for the procedure itself. It will take at least a day to convert your code into the organic matter, and then a few more days for the brain to actually grasp your personality. Once you wake up we're looking at a week or so of rehabilitation and tests, to make sure everything is working as it should." She pauses, and looks down for a moment. "Then there is, of course, the subject of back-up."

"Back-up?" Jack asks.

"Rhys didn't tell you?"

Jack squints and looks at Rhys for a moment, before returning his gaze to Doctor Simon. "No," he says through clenched teeth, "No, he didn't."

Simon sends Rhys a small, panicked look, and he can almost see her pulse quickening. She looks back at Handsome Jack. "Well, you see, sir-"

"Just. Tell. Me."

Simon nods rapidly. "Of course. In order to control your new body, to  _ be _ him, you cannot keep yourself in control of Helios. You cannot be an AI of a space station and a human being at the same time. So you will either have to let go of Helios, or create a backup of yourself which will continue to run the systems."

"Well, yeah."

Simon smiles that specific smile of someone who is about to deliver bad news to someone who really does not want to hear it. "A backup is necessary either way, should the process of organification fail, minuscule as the odds of that are. But sir, I would strongly advice to keep that backup dormant, to not let it stay and run Helios."

Jack crosses his arms. "You sayin' I haven't been doing a good job of it?"

"No, no, not at all. I mean, that is not what I'm saying." She takes a breath. "It's just… The backup won't be  _ aware _ that it's a backup, per se. It will be you. You'll see another part of yourself taking control of the new body and starting a new life, and you'll still be stuck as an AI for the rest of your existence."

"Yeah, but  _ I'll _ be in the-" Jack interrupts himself, frowning. His usual short temper and patience seems to be irrelevant when it comes to this. Rhys wonders if this is the first time Jack is actually taking his time to consider his decisions before he makes them. Well, the first time in a long while, at least. After about half a minute, in which Doctor Simon seems to be growing more and more nervous, Jack nods. "Alright," he says, "Dormant backup it is. Helios didn't have an AI before, it'll manage."

Rhys lets out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. If Jack had argued, he isn't sure what he would have done.

Doctor Simon lets out a relieved sigh as well. "Glad to hear it, sir. Now, the plan is to make the final preparations and then start the transfer tomorrow morning. If you have any other questions, feel free to send them my way until then." She stands, still a little bit shaky. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Rhys stands up to leave, and starts walking out through the lab, while Jack flickers away. As he passes the window to the small room where the clone sleeps, Rhys notices Jack's hologram standing in there. He stops, caught by surprise, and Jack turns to look at him. He cocks his head a bit, signalling for Rhys to join him, and so Rhys does.

Jack is looking down at the body before him, at the peaceful, bare face of his clone. Rhys comes to stand next to him, not sure what Jack wants him to do.

"It's strange," Jack says, his voice taut. "I've seen my own face more times than I can count on body doubles and clones, both real and digistructed, but- It's never been like this, y'know?" He pauses and sighs. "This is the first time that a double has been more real than me."

"It's not though," Rhys says. "It's just a body. It's not really you until you're in its head."

Jack shakes his head. "No, no, you don't get it." He sounds angry, but it's not his usual violent anger. This time he's tired and worn.

Before Rhys can reply, his cybernetic hand reaches out to grasp the hand of the clone, mindful of the wires attached to it. Jack hasn't pulled on his arm like this since he was released onto Helios, and in all honesty Rhys didn't even think he could anymore. But he must have hacked it, somehow. "You feel that, Rhysie?" Jack asks, squeezing with Rhys' metal hand, though not very hard. The sensors on Rhys' arm aren't quite as refined as they could be, and makes sensations dull compared to what his biological arm can feel. But he can still feel the softness of the uncalloused skin, and he can feel the muscles and bone underneath. "That's physical. That's real," Jack tells him. "If you wanted to, you could hurt him. You could torture him and you could kill him, because he's alive. He's real."

"He's not- It's not alive though, Jack. Not really," Rhys tries. "There's nothing inside. You're not inside."

Jack's head snaps up, his attention going from the clone to Rhys. Then, faster than Rhys can blink, Jack's hand is inside his chest. Rhys recoils, even though it doesn't hurt him. "See?" Jack chuckles, without humor. "There's nothing inside me either. I can't do  _ anything _ . I'm not  _ real _ . I mean, I- I will be. Once this is all done." He gestures towards the whole room. "But until then, I'm not really a person, am I?"

"Jack, come on-"

"You ever get nightmares, pumpkin? The kind that get a million time worse before they're over? That's what this is. And I'm  _ terrified _ ." Jack's eyes go wide then, as if realizing what he's just said. He looks at Rhys, then at the clone, and then at nothing. And then he's gone.

"Jack?" Rhys calls.

There's no answer.

"Jack?" he tries again.

Still nothing.

He stands there for a good few minutes, before he sighs and shakes his head. He leaves the labs, ignoring the strange looks he gets from the researchers, who probably watched all of it, maybe even heard some. He makes his way back up to his apartment, not bothering with the office. Business can wait.

Rhys hadn't realized that Jack was bothered by all of this. He seemed so confident, so… like himself. But of course it had to be weird to see your own body like that, and to feel like you only had one shot at getting back into it. Rhys just wishes he could help, somehow. Sure, Jack confides in him from time to time, like today. But also like today, it never seems like he means to do it, and more like it's something that just happens by accident and that he regrets afterwards. Jack is supposed to be this strong, indomitable hero, that doesn't need anyone else, and yet he seems to need Rhys, in a way. Rhys can understand that when you spend so long cultivating the image others have of you, it's unsettling to have it shattered right in front of you, without even realizing it could be shattered.

As he enters his apartment, Rhys snorts to himself and shakes his head. Why does he keep thinking he's significant to Jack like this? He's helping him get his body back, that's all. He's nothing but a lucky coincidence for Jack, and barely matters more to him than he did when he was just working in Propaganda. Fuck. Seems like co-ruling Hyperion has been getting to his head.

He changes into more comfortable clothes and curls up on his new couch, starting up a new ECHOnet show he's been meaning to watch for a while. When it gets late he orders food, and eventually ends up falling asleep in front of the screen, his mind distracted enough to keep Handsome Jack out of his dreams.

Morning comes sooner than he would have liked, and when he remembers what is about to happen today, an uneasy feeling settles in the pit of Rhys' stomach. He tries to settle it a bit with a long shower and a fancy breakfast, but the luxuries don't really do much in the way of calming his nerves. He gets dressed and walks down to the labs, telling himself that he's ready to face whatever comes.

When he arrives, Doctor Simon is waiting for him.

"Rhys, sir, welcome," she greets. "Handsome Jack is currently engaged in the backup process."

Rhys looks in the direction of where Doctor Simon is nodding, and spots Jack's hologram looking down at a drive, much like the one he was stored in before Rhys jammed it into his head. As if he knows Rhys is watching him, which he probably does, Jack looks up. "Hey. You're just in time."

"Well," Rhys shrugs, "It's not like I could miss this."

Jack's lips twitch a bit, maybe into a shadow of a smile. "I've just centered all my data storage to a hard drive in this lab," he explains. "And I've made an encrypted backup on this drive here." He nods at the small drive on the desk. When he speaks next, it's not from the speakers in the walls, but directly into Rhys' ECHOcomm. "If this goes south and the clone breaks, I can't risk these morons handing me over to Dahl or something. But you've brought me this far, so I've decided to trust you. I want you to keep this safe, and swear to me that you'll reactivate the backup if you need to."

"Yeah, sure."

" _ Rhys _ ." Jack's eyes meet his, vulnerable again. "I need you to promise me. I can't go back to the nothingness."

It's the way that he says it, the fear and the intensity, that leaves Rhys without hesitation. He nods, slower this time. "I promise, Jack."

Jack smiles at him then. "Good. Knew I could count on you. And you'll figure out the decryption too."

Rhys tries not to dwell on that comment, and is distracted from it either way, when Jack's voice returns to the speakers.

"Alright, kiddos! Time to see if you're worth your salaries."

The scientists start milling around the lab at that, though most of it seems to already have been prepared. Rhys grabs the drive and puts it in his pocket, and Jack shifts to the smaller room. There's a black box hooked up to the clone's neural port, and with the way Jack is looking at it Rhys assumes it's the hard drive containing all his data. He feels a bit out of place, so he stays by the door to the small room, letting the scientists do their thing.

"We're done, Doctor," one of them announces.

Doctor Simon nods. "Alright then. Handsome Jack, sir, when you're ready."

Jack meets Rhys' gaze again and speaks through his ECHOcomm. "See you on the other side, cupcake." Then he closes his eyes and vanishes.

It's not the way he usually flickers out of sight though. This time, he rather fades and dissolves, and Rhys knows that he'll never see that version of Jack again, because he'll either wake up as the clone or be gone and leave him with the backup. The uneasy feeling in his gut intensifies, and around him the scientists initiate the process of converting Jack's data from digital to organic.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Babaaam cliffhanger again. Because I can.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's silent. Too silent. Rhys finds himself almost calling out for Jack several times, each time catching himself and remembering that Jack won't be answering. It doesn't do much in the way of calming his nerves.
> 
> "Shit," Rhys hisses after a while. He doesn't know how long he's been sitting there. It could be five minutes, could be five hours, the light always remains the same here. It doesn't matter much anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this proof read? Absolutely not!
> 
> Do I have an assignment due tomorrow? Yeah I do!
> 
> Sorry for being so scarce with my updates, thanks for sticking with me anyway <3

Rhys leaves the scientists to their own devices. According to Doctor Simon it's going to be days until Jack wakes up, and he can't just stand around in the labs waiting.

He begins to make his way back to the office, but changes his mind and instead heads toward the public areas of Helios, with the bars and restaurants, parks and lounges. He remembers how amazed he was, the first time he saw the station parks. He knew, of course, that it was possible to grow plants in space, but he hadn't expected Hyperion to do so for recreational purposes. But apparently Handsome Jack's precursor had quite liked the idea of parks for his employees, and thus Jack had to add them when he built the station.

They are nice illusions of being outdoors, though after his visit to Pandora Rhys finds they pale in comparison. If the Atlas biodome is a waterfall, the parks on Helios are barely more than a raindrop. Still, they're peaceful enough, and he finds a bench secluded by thick leaves where he sits down, his elbows propped up on his thighs and his head held in his palms.

There is the soft buzzing of a honeybee nearby, but other than that and the rustling of the leaves in the artificial breeze, it's silent. Too silent. Rhys finds himself almost calling out for Jack several times, each time catching himself and remembering that Jack won't be answering. It doesn't do much in the way of calming his nerves.

"Shit," Rhys hisses after a while. He doesn't know how long he's been sitting there. It could be five minutes, could be five hours, the light in the park always remains the same. It doesn't matter much anyway. He tries in vain to rub the stiffness out of his neck before he stands up. He's not even sure why he came here in the first place.

Adamant to not let his legs take him somewhere of their own accord this time, Rhys tries to keep his thoughts focused as he walks back to the office. He tells himself that Jack will be back in a few days, and he will be back for  _ real _ this time. And then he will decide whether to keep Rhys alive or not. Rhys likes to think that they have formed some sort of friendship in the last couple of months, and that Jack won't mind having him around, but he knows that that was the exact same thoughts he had when they first returned to Helios. Only time will tell, he knows that, and until then he will just have to try and get by.

When he reaches the office, there is someone waiting for him.

"Rhys? Rhys! Hi!" The little robot jogs up to him and hugs his leg. "How are you doing?"

Rhys blinks. "Uh. I… I'm okay, Gortys. Hi. How are you?"

"I'm alright! I've been waiting for you, but you've been gone for  _ ages _ !"

He's seen Gortys now and then since he… borrowed her from Fiona and Sasha. Most of the time she's been either with Loaderbot or with the scientists of the Vault project though. Her cute little smile is enough to distract him from his brooding thoughts, even if only for a few moments.

"Yeah, sorry, I was… busy. Was there anything you needed?" Rhys asks, a small smile, albeit a tired one, slipping onto his face.

"Yeah! Or well, no… But there's something  _ you _ need to see! Come with me!"

She grabs his hand and begins to drag him through the office again, through the hallway and to the elevator. Rhys jogs after her without protest. They take the elevator down, Gortys talking nonsense and bobbing up and down the whole ride. When it stops, she leads him through the corridors.

He expects the Vault lab, he really does. But he was hoping for it to be something, anything, else. Then again, with his luck, why would it be?

"...and who knows what we'll find!" Rhys starts tuning into Gortys' talking again, not quite sure what it is that he missed. The doors to the lab feel large and imposing as they stand before them, but Rhys doesn't have much time to reflect upon them before they open.

This lab is just the same as the one where they built Handsome Jack's new body, and at the same time it couldn't be more different. The walls are the same metallic color, and much of the basic layout is the same. There are doors in the same places, and the same decorational potted plants in the same corners. But all the scientific equipment and charts are revolving not around the human body, but around the Vault and the stars, and the tech from the Gortys project. It was easy to get it all, with Hyperion's resources in their hands, and with Atlas actually being Jack's property.

Some of the researchers notice Rhys and Gortys entering, and most of them quickly look back to their work. Is that…? Yeah, Rhys is pretty sure a few of them are even blushing. Weird. One of them, however, does meet his eyes, and approaches him.

"Rhys, sir. Welcome," the researcher says. He has straight black hair that reaches his shoulders, and he brushes some of it behind his ear before he shakes Rhys' hand. "I trust-"

"I'll see you soon, Rhys," Gortys says, interrupting the man, "I have to go check on Loaderbot." And with that, she jogs through the room and out of sight. Rhys turns his attention back to the researcher, with an apologetic smile on his face.

The man clears his throat. "I trust she's told you the news?"

"Not… exactly?" Rhys manages. Unless you counted the Gortys and Loaderbot Shenanigans TM as important news.

The man clasps his hands together. "Very well then."

"I'm sorry," Rhys says, before things get more awkward than they need to, "I don't think I remember getting your name. Have you been promoted recently?"

The man looks down for a moment, brushing his hair behind his ear again even though not a single strand has moved since he last did so. "Yes, sir, I have," he says, a small, proud smile on his lips. "There were some… issues with the management until not so long ago, and I've taken over since." There is a pause during which his eyes flicker up to meet Rhys' for a brief moment, and then he appears to remember that he isn't done. "Uh. And my name is Andrew Mundo," he adds, "Doctor Andrew Mundo."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Mundo," Rhys says, though an odd feeling washes over him, like Mundo is hiding something.

"You too, sir," Mundo says with an excited nod, then gestures for Rhys to walk with him. "We've done our best to find out as much as we can about the Vault of the Traveler, and more importantly, the Traveler itself.

"As you know, the Vault is pretty simple, and we had that part nailed down quite a while ago; Once Gortys activates the final piece, the Vault will be summoned, and the Traveler with it. We haven't tested it, of course, since that would bring it here, to Helios, and we, heh, we really don't want that." He pauses to chuckle a little, but then stops. "But yeah, we're confident that when we do get Gortys down to Pandora, or Elpis if you'd rather, and get the tech going, the Vault will appear."

"I'm with you so far," Rhys says, trying to encourage him. He seems nervous. Rhys supposes he might have been too, if he had been in his position.

Mundo gives him a smile that is somewhere between awkward and… giddy. "Alright! Um, so, that leaves the Traveler. From what we can tell, it's not just the Vault that teleports, but the Traveler as well. And in order to take it down, we need to make it unable to teleport. I'll spare you the details for now, and just let you know that we have a method for taking out its teleportation, and after that we can use the moonshot cannon to kill it. Once we do, the riches of the Vault is ours for the taking. On other words… We're ready to summon the Vault of the Traveler, Rhys. Sir."

If there is some omnipotent god out there that decided the two research teams were to have this bizarre timing, Rhys would very much like to punch them in the face.

"Wow," he says instead, blinking. "Good work."

"Thank you, sir."

Rhys clears his throat. "There, uh… There are some preparations that I need to do first, myself. But… Yeah. Um. In about a week, maybe? Yeah, be ready to travel down to Pandora in about a week."

The proud smile on Mundo's face falters a bit, and when he speaks, his voice is hesitant. "Rhys, sir, is everything alright?"

"What? Yes, yes, of course," Rhys replies. "Just… A lot on my mind, right now."

"Of course," Doctor Mundo says, nodding. "I'll… let you get back to it then. But now you know that we're ready."

Thankful for the hint that he can leave, Rhys starts to move in the direction of the door. "That I do. Great work."

"Thanks again, sir. Pleasure to finally meet you. Rhys. Sir."

Great. Now his awkwardness is rubbing off on other people. Poor Doctor Mundo. Rhys manages to slink through the doors before he makes even more of a fool of himself. And he's supposed to be running this company. What a joke. Even the employees seem to think so, if the hushed whispers and secretive glances whenever he walked past is anything to go by.

It can't have been more than a few hours, but damn, he feels lost without Jack. He's been running Hyperion for years, he always knows just what to say or do. And when he hasn't given Rhys any advice, it has been in favor of instead popping up on a nearby screen and taking over the situation. Rhys hasn't realized before now just how dependant he is on Jack. Why did he ever think he could become as great as him?

It's only a few days, he tries to tell himself as he leans his forehead against the cold metal wall of the corridor. Only a few days, and then Jack will return. For real this time. Rhys will fade into the memory of Hyperion, not as a man that led the company for many years with a firm but skillful hand, but as the man who returned Handsome Jack to his rightful place. And it will be for the best.

When he's done with his umpteenth existential crisis for the day, Rhys rubs his eyes with his hands and walks towards the elevator and fast-travel station, which take him to the other side of Helios.

He knows it's a bad idea, he does, but he also doesn't know where else to turn. Fiona, Sasha and August are part of the whole business with the Vault, and if he's about to open it, they should be there too. And after that they can stay on Pandora and things will be fine. He takes a deep breath, and opens the door to their apartment.

And it's… empty?

"Um. Hello?" he calls, and receives no reply.

He shuts and locks the door behind him and begins to go through the apartment. Maybe they're asleep? But no, the bedrooms are as empty as the living room. He checks the kitchen and bathroom, activates his ECHO-eye, but nothing. His heart starts to speed up the pace, and he can feel his mind starting to spin. Where are they? Have they gotten out? For how long? Are they still on Helios? Why hasn't he noticed anything? Why hasn't Jack?

Before his breathing spins too far out of his control, he tries to calm it. His right hand grabs the kitchen counter to keep himself steady. His left goes to his pocket, where he can feel the small hard drive through the fabric. He pulls it out.

All of Jack's consciousness is in there. Rhys just needs to activate it and Jack will help him figure out what has happened, and then they will fix it together. His thumb finds the little button that ejects the plug, and he twists the drive in his hand.

He would figure out how to decrypt it, Jack had said. It shouldn't be too hard.

He raises his hand to his temple and closes his eyes as he pushes the drive towards his head-port.

And… No. He can't do that to Jack. Not until he knows if the cloning process worked or not. He sighs and brings the drive down, pushes the button to retract the plug and places it back in his pocket. He can do this on his own. He has to.

He takes a deep breath. "Alright, Rhys, you've got this. It's no harder than cracking a firewall. You did trickier stuff in college. Yeah."

He sinks down to the floor and activates the holoscreen in his palm. Then he gets to work.

After a while, Rhys has learned three things:

One, he's been underestimating them.

Back when they were planetside, neither of the Pandorans knew much about technology. It's sparse on the planet, and they had been too busy trying to survive their whole lives. But in an apartment on Helios with nothing to do for months, it apparently didn't take them too long to learn a thing or two. Rhys remembers showing off his arm to Sasha during the roadtrip, and of course she would have picked up a thing or two. Their hacking skills would be no match for his, since he's been honing them basically his entire life, but they're good enough to have gotten them out of the apartment.

Two, he's been lazy.

It's standard Helios procedure to take footage of every single room, though most of it isn't ever looked at. But now that he does check the footage from this apartment, Rhys finds that it's been empty for almost three weeks. Had he just made regular checks of the footage, he would have noticed right away.

And three, he's been careless.

After getting Gortys and leaving the Pandorans to their own devices, he figured he'd be nice and get them an ECHOnet connection. So they could watch movies or something, and not die of boredom. Because he's nice like that. But without that ECHOnet connection, they wouldn't have had a way to hack their way out, and now that's a problem.

At least with the security footage he has a date of their escape, and can track them through the rest of the station cameras. It takes him a while to find the right cameras as he follows them, but Rhys manages to keep track.

He finds them after a while, camped out in an unused part of Helios, a storage room long forgotten. It's half empty, half covered in stacked crates that Rhys can only hope don't contain weapons. It's a wonder the cameras in there are still functional. August and Sasha are in the camp currently, but Fiona is nowhere to be seen. Rhys supposes she's off in the residential areas conning some Hyperion workers out of their food and money. Judging by the look of the camp the three of them have managed to collect quite a stash. There's even a Bunkers and Badasses book lying around and Rhys is hit with how much he misses Vaughn. He needs to find him.

The Pandorans will help, he's pretty sure of that. They like Vaughn more than they like him, and Rhys is in a position to offer them whatever they want.

Rhys sleeps restlessly that night, tossing and turning and feeling more alone than he has in a long while. Once morning comes ‒ the space station version of it, anyway ‒ he gets up and calls Loader Bot. With him and Gortys, Rhys begins to make his way down through the station, towards the storage room camp. It takes him a while to find it, even using his GPS and scanning the area with his ECHOeye.

But eventually he does reach it, and upon opening the last door, he can hear their voices further into the room.

"Alright, so you have everything you need?" Fiona asks, her voice echoing a little against the metal walls.

"I think so," Sasha replies, "but you can check it if you want?"

"Quiet." August. "I think I heard something."

"Really? Should we go check?" Sasha again.

"Yeah, I mean it's probably nothing, but it can't hurt to be careful up here."

There's a metallic sound followed by footsteps. Best to make their presence known.

"Uh. Hi," Rhys calls into the darkened room, and he can hear Sasha and Fiona scramble to their feet.

He sees them soon, all three of them. Fiona still wields her tiny pistol, and Sasha and August seem to have found bigger guns. All of them are pointed at Rhys.

Loader Bot raises his weaponry in response, but no shots are fired.

"So," Fiona says after a tense couple of moments. "You found us. You really can't just leave us alone? We're not hurting anybody here."

Rhys is pretty sure that that's debatable, but then again so is Hyperion's moral compass as a whole, so he figures that it's best to not bring that up at all.

"I came here to finish what I started. What we all started," he tells them, and looks at them in turn. "My people are ready to open the Vault and deal with what's inside. We're going down to Pandora in less than a week to do it. If you want to stay here, in this…" He pauses and looks around the room. "In this abandoned place… I won't stop you. I'll never bother you again, even. But if you'd rather come with me down to Pandora and open the Vault and live as royalty afterwards, well, there's room for you too. If you want it."

Fiona lowers her gun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter I guess, stay tuned for Jack's return


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Seriously?" Sasha looks at Fiona, then at Rhys and then at Fiona again. "I mean seriously? You lock us up, ditch us for months and then come back with some speech about how everything is going to be fine?" As she speaks, she points her gun at Rhys' face, and he has to restrain himself from backing away from her. When she turns her attention to her sister, she keeps her gun trained on Rhys. "And you- He shows up and says like two sentences, and you're fine with that? He screwed us over big time, Fi, what are you thinking?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still a lot of stuff to do on my end, but I'm doing my best to write on this when I can (and know what to write). Thank you so much for reading and sticking with me, and an extra shoutout to all those of you who take the time to comment. I know I should probably stop cluttering the comments with my replies (like half of those 100 are me replying), but I want to thank each and every one of you so I'll keep doing it.
> 
> This chapter is also a bit of a milestone! It's chapter number 10, AND it pushes the story above the 30k word count! :D

Fiona may be the first to move, but Sasha is the first to speak.

"Seriously?" She looks at Fiona, then at Rhys and then at Fiona again. "I mean  _ seriously _ ? You lock us up, ditch us for  _ months _ and then come back with some speech about how everything is going to be fine?" As she speaks, she points her gun at Rhys' face, and he has to restrain himself from backing away from her. When she turns her attention to her sister, she keeps her gun trained on Rhys. "And  _ you _ \- He shows up and says like two sentences, and you're  _ fine _ with that? He screwed us over big time, Fi, what are you  _ thinking _ ?"

Fiona reaches up and puts her hand on Sasha's gun, forcing it downwards. It's pointing at Rhys' groin now, which isn't exactly an improvement, but he'll take it. "I'm not forgiving him," she says. "But he's offering an alliance, and I think we could use that. Don't you want what's in the Vault?"

"Of course I do. But I don't want anything to do with him."

Rhys takes a step back. "I'll… let you guys discuss things and come back later. Sounds good? Yeah, okay, I'll see-"

Sasha's gun is back in his face before he can finish talking. "Oh hell no you're not. You'd take one step outside of this room and then you'd send every single gun on Helios after us. And not in the good way?"

There's a good way?

Rhys shakes his head. "Look, Sasha, if I wanted you guys dead I would have brought the guns already. Or sent LoaderBot at you."

He does a little nod in LB's direction, and the robot raises his hand in a wave. "Hi."

Sasha squints. "So why haven't you?"

"Because I want to help," Rhys sighs. "And because I think I need you to help me, too."

Fiona's gaze has been darting around the room, searching for something. "Why do you need our help when you have your little friend controlling this entire base? And where is he, anyway?"

Rhys shrugs. "This room doesn't have any turrets or monitors. It barely has a security cam. So Jack can't join us right now." The half-lie slips out so easily, and Rhys isn't even sure why he doesn't tell them the truth. Maybe he just wants them to think that Jack will still get to them if they try to run. Maybe he doesn't want them to know that Jack will soon be alive.

Fiona seems unconvinced. "So he can't hear us right now?"

"Nope." At least that's true.

"Does he know you're here?"

Rhys hesitates, then figures there's no use in trying to gain an advantage he won't achieve. "No."

"So coming to us for help was your idea, not his? He has nothing to do with this."

"No. I mean, yes, it was my idea."

Fiona turns to Sasha. "You think he's smart enough to screw us over on his own?"

Well that's insulting.

Sasha turns to her sister, still keeping the gun on Rhys. "I don't know. Probably?"

"He would have gotten the beacon if Jack hadn't told him not to."

"You sure about that?"

Fiona glances over at Rhys. "Yeah. Sort of."

"And what's gonna happen the second Jack figures out what he's doing now? He's gonna have us all killed is what, and Rhys won't do  _ shit  _ for us when that happens."

"I'm… Right here. Still," Rhys reminds them, but they don't seem to care.

August, who hasn't done anything this whole time except looking menacing while holding his gun, gives a nod. "She's right though. How do we know you won't hand us over to him as soon as we step outta this room?"

The three of them all turn to look at Rhys.

"I- Jack's been… deactivated. For the time being," he tells them. It's technically not a lie.

Fiona frowns and crosses her arms. "I thought you said he wasn't here because there's no surveillance."

Right. "I said he couldn't join us right now. Partly because yes, there are no monitors here, but also because he's not active."

"And why is that?"

"Maintenance. Sort of."

"For how long?"

"A few days, at least."

August speaks up again. "You believe him?"

Fiona hesitates for a moment, then walks to the door, holding up a finger to tell the rest of them to wait. She leans out through the door. "Not-so-handsome Jack is ugly and disgusting and stupid," she says, waits a second, then returns. "If Jack was around, he'd have said something to protect his fragile ego. I believe him."

They all turn to Sasha, who with a frustrated grunt lowers her gun. "Fine! I guess we're believing Rhys. But just so we're clear? I do  _ not _ trust him."

Fiona smiles. "Oh, none of us should trust him. But he can help us get into the Vault, and that'll have to be good enough for now."

 

It takes the better part of the day to move all the stuff back up to the apartment district. Fiona, Sasha and August are reluctant at first, and Rhys can't blame them. But after promising them a much larger and fancier apartment (and swearing to not lock them in again), they agree to it, comfort winning over suspicion for the time being. And thanks to Hyperion being a company full of backstabbing assholes, someone with a fancy apartment died not too long ago, so it all works out.

Rhys leaves them with Gortys to catch up, and tells them he'll return in the morning. When morning does come, he checks in on Doctor Simon, who reassures him everything is progressing as planned with Jack. As soon as his nerves are somewhat calmed, he fast-travels to the apartment district, and eventually finds himself at the right door.

"Hello?" he says into the microphone. "Uh. You guys awake yet?" He could just override the security and open the door from the outside, but he gets the feeling that that would be somewhat counterproductive to his effort of gaining their trust.

Rhys stands there for a while, probably a good solid ten minutes or so, before the door opens. He's met by Fiona, wearing a silky robe. It's such a contrast to her usual attire that Rhys has to do a double take, which she notices.

"What?" she demands.

"Uh-"

"We're living the life, Rhys. You can't expect us not to take advantage of this place." It's not much of an explanation, but it is what she gives him before turning around and walking further into the apartment. Rhys follows, and the door slides shut behind him.

He follows Fiona to the kitchen, where he also finds Sasha and August. Sasha is leaning back in her chair with her bare feet propped up on the table, and she's munching on toast that has a bit too much marmalade on it. She's wearing dark, silken pyjamas, with the legs and sleeves rolled up to fit her. The shirt has "L.H." embroidered on it in gold.

August isn't quite as relaxed, but is standing with his back against the kitchen wall holding a large mug. He too has been through the closets of the apartment, and has found himself a heavy but soft-looking robe, with the same initials as Sasha's pajamas. He's still wearing his combat boots, which honestly makes him look quite ridiculous.

Fiona comes to stand close to Sasha and begins buttering up a slice of toast for herself. Rhys feels out of place, and a bit overdressed. "So… I see that you're making use of uh… the apartment."

"Yup," Sasha says through a mouth full of toast. "So?"

Rhys shrugs. "Nothing. I just… didn't think it was your type of fashion."

"Honestly, this is the softest thing I've ever worn," August admits, tugging at the sleeve of his robe. "It's weird."

"It's  _ nice _ ," Fiona says. "And it's expensive, so that automatically makes it good."

Rhys shakes his head to clear it. "Alright alright, enough... wardrobe talk. I'm taking you to see the Vault team today," he tells them. Then, reminding himself that this is supposed to be a mutual cooperation, he adds, "If that's okay, with all of you."

The Pandorans finish their breakfast and get dressed. Sasha and Fiona raid the dead man's closet for this as well, but August keeps his own clothes on. They were a ragtag and mismatched group when they flew up to Helios, but it's nothing compared to the ridiculous picture the four of them paint right now, Rhys thinks. Even Gortys borrows a hat, after asking if she can have something too.

Together, they all walk to the labs housing the Vault team. They're greeted by a short woman, who has her hair done up in what looks like hundreds of tiny braids. "Rhys, sir, Doctor Mundo will be here soon, I'm Doctor Olivia Samson, please call me Olivia, are these the Pandorans?"

Rhys blinks. "Uh. Yeah. Yeah, this is Fiona, Sasha and August," he says, gesturing to each of them in turn. "They've been looking for the Vault with me since the beginning, pretty much."

Olivia nods. "Fiona, Sasha and August, got it, nice to meet you all, let me show you what we've been working on while we wait for Doctor Mundo to arrive, I'm sure you'll find it interesting, come on, follow me." She begins to walk further into the labs, and they all eventually follow as she keeps talking, telling them about whatever they pass. Rhys wonders how she has time to breathe.

At one point, Fiona turns to him. "Well, you've been busy, I'll give you that."

Rhys shrugs. "We got as far as we did, so I figured with all these resources at my disposal I might as well keep working, right?"

"I guess it was good for something," Fiona admits. "I just hope whatever's inside the Vault is worth it. For your sake, I mean."

"Right."

It doesn't take too long until the little tour is interrupted by Doctor Mundo's arrival. He seems a bit surprised to see the Pandorans, but collects himself quickly enough. 

"Rhys, sir. Welcome," he greets. "I didn't realize you'd be showing up again so soon. I trust you've been taken care of while I wasn't here?" He looks over to Olivia, who smiles and nods.

"I'll leave them in your care, Doctor Mundo, and I sent my latest edit on File T-34 to you as you requested, if you need anything I'll be by my desk."

"Thank you, Olivia." Mundo gives her a nod, then turns to Rhys and smiles. "Everything alright, sir?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," he assures. He introduces the Pandorans to Doctor Mundo, who shakes each of their hands.

"They'll be joining us down on Pandora, when we open the Vault," Rhys continues.

Mundo seems surprised at first, but then smiles. That man really does smile a lot, Rhys thinks. "Of course sir," he says. "Will they be assisting us with the preparations as well?"

Rhys opens his mouth to speak, then looks to Fiona. "Um. If they so wish?"

Fiona nods confidently. "We will. Someone's gotta make sure things are done right around here."

 

It's later, when they've gotten the full tour of the lab and have decided to head further down through Helios for lunch, that Fiona pulls Rhys aside. Sasha and August are walking a bit ahead, talking to each other, and Gortys is running around them in excited circles. Fiona slows down her gait, and makes Rhys do the same.

"So what's it like, getting what you always wanted?" she asks.

Rhys frowns, confused. "What?"

"You always wanted to be like Handsome Jack, right?"

"What do you mean? The owner of Hyperion?" Rhys asks, his heart beating a bit faster. Does Fiona know that he's bringing Jack back to life?

"Well yeah, but Hyperion's only part of the puzzle, isn't it? You didn't just want the company, you wanted… the experience. You wanted to  _ be _ Jack."

Rhys' palm is starting to sweat. He wipes it on his pants, hoping she won't notice. "I… I don't get it."

Fiona scoffs. "Of course you do. You wanted the power, the status, the fans… And you got it. I really didn't think you had it in you, I'm kind of impressed."

"Um. Thanks?" Rhys says, not sure whether to be offended or not.

Fiona smiles. "You know, you never answered my question."

"What question?"

"I asked what it was like to be Handsome Jack."

Rhys shakes his head. Is she onto him or not? "I'm not like him. Not by a long shot."

"Your minions seem to think so," Fiona replies with a shrug.

"My minions?"

"Yeah. Like what's his name… Mundo. You really haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"How he looks at you the way my sister looks at a shiny gun? Or how he fumbles like a teenager around a crush?"

Rhys laughs, but stops when he realizes Fiona is still serious. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Uh, yeah? That entire office was full of your groupies. I wouldn't be surprised if people start getting cybernetic arms just because they wanna be like you. Like those Jack masks, but more extreme."

"I'm still not like Jack," Rhys protests. Even if Fiona for some reason is right and he has… groupies, it still doesn't make him even half the man Jack was. And soon will be once more.

Fiona shrugs again. "Maybe not. But it's enough for them. And I think you could do a better job than he did, anyway. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed at you for being a double-crossing asshole, but the leader of Hyperion has to be a douchebag in one way or another, and I'd rather it be you than that murdering psychopath. You seem to be doing quite alright with the AI on maintenance, if you ask me. Maybe you could keep it like that." She smiles at him, then walks faster to catch up with the others, leaving him behind.

Rhys can't tell what is worse. Either Fiona knows exactly what he's up to, and is trying to make him cancel Jack's data transfer before it's complete, or she has no clue at all and will be completely furious when Jack returns. And since she is a master manipulator, there is no way of telling what's going on beneath the surface. But either way, Rhys is betraying her slowly reforming trust on so many levels right now, and he's getting more and more afraid of what will happen once she finds out.

He does have the option still, of course, to cancel the revival. Jack's clone would continue to be brain dead, and if he ever reactivated the back-up drive, he could just say that the transfer failed. The staff might hesitate a little, but they would do as he said. All it would take is to give one single order, and Fiona and Sasha wouldn't ever have reason to distrust him again. It would be so easy.

And so lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little bit shorter than usual (about 500 words shorter, I keep count). But I wanted to end it where I did, to focus the next chapter on something I know you've been waiting for...


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The message contains none of the Doctor's usual formalities and consists only of three words:
> 
> He is awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I can't thank you guys enough for all of your kind comments. You're the best <3
> 
> Unfortunately, I feel like I have way too much to do at the moment, so I'm gonna have to place this project on ice for a while, a few months at least. Hope you'll still stick with me! <3

Three days pass. Each morning Rhys gets an update from Doctor Simon, and the rest of the day he spends with the Pandorans, working on the Vault expedition. They try to figure out how to best locate Vaughn once they get planetside, if he's still alive. It's distracting enough, though Rhys gets more and more worried about withholding certain truths from them as time goes by.

He is on his way back to his apartment on the evening of his third day, when his ECHO goes off. It takes him a minute to realize that it's from Doctor Simon, and when he does, he rushes to open it.

The message contains none of the Doctor's usual formalities and consists only of three words:

_He is awake._

Rhys is pretty sure his heart stops for a moment. Then he races back to the fast travel station, hurrying to push in the right coordinates. He fumbles a few times and has to type it in again, but soon (though not soon enough) he's pulled apart and reassembled down in the labs. He runs towards the large doors, startling a pair of young scientists as he passes them.

He goes through the doors, and he hears Jack before he sees him.

"...should be able to fix that! I'm the one paying you, for chrissakes. And quit prodding me, I'm your boss, not your lab rat."

Jack's voice is muffled, as he is in the same room as before, and Rhys sees him through the windows. He's propped up, half-laying, half-sitting in the bed, with pillows on both sides. One of the doctors are doing something with his left arm, and Jack while Jack isn't actively doing something to stop it, he's definitely complaining.

"Rhys, sir. You're here." Doctor Simon startles him as she approaches.

Rhys nods. "Yeah. Can I go in?"

"You can. He's a bit… annoyed at the moment, since he can't move properly yet. It's expected, as the muscles will need to be built up gradually, but he's… He's Jack."

"I know. Thanks," Rhys says, and gives her a smile before moving towards the door and opening it.

In his room, Jack keeps speaking. "...have something, seriously. And what do _you_ want-" He cuts himself off as he looks at the new occupant of the room. "Oh. Rhys. Hi." Jack is as hard to read as ever, and Rhys can't tell what else the surprise is mixed with. Hell, he can't even tell what he's feeling himself right now.

He smiles, and someone closes the door behind him. "Hi Jack. Um. How're you feeling?"

"Well I can't move, so that sucks." Rhys is pretty sure Jack would be crossing his arms right now, if he could. He does clench his fists though.

"Yeah, they said it might take a little while for your body to build up its strength."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Jack rolls his eyes. He looks small, Rhys thinks. His body seems to be skinny and gaunt beneath the hospital gown, and with his hair unstyled it hangs flatly down the sides of his face. He doesn't appear to be able to sit on his own either, judging by the way two metal rods are gently keeping him propped up against the bed. It makes him look vulnerable. Best not to mention it.

"How's your memory?" he asks instead. "Nothing missing?"

"Oh come on, you too? It's enough that these morons are running a thousand freaking diagnostics."

Rhys shrugs. "Just making conversation." His eyes sweep over the room and find a chair, which he pulls up next to the bed and takes a seat on.

"How long was I gone?" Jack wonders after a moment of silence, turning his head slightly to the left so that he can look at Rhys while he talks.

Rhys has to think for a while and actually count the days, because they felt like a small eternity. "Five days."

"Huh. I'm surprised you survived that long without me."

"I've been busy," Rhys says. He doesn't want to mention the Pandorans, not yet. Though maybe the risk of Jack killing them is at its smallest right now, when he can't really do much of anything.

"I'm sure you have, cupcake. Anything interesting happened?"

Rhys hesitates. "We're ready to open the Vault. We'll go down to Pandora pretty soon."

Jack snorts. "How's that for timing." There's a beat of silence before Jack speaks again. "It's funny."

"The Vault?"

"Nah. How I couldn't touch anything or do anything before, and now I'm actually alive again and I can _feel_ things but I still can't. Do. Anything." His teeth clench at the end, and Rhys can't help but worry.

"It shouldn't take long before you can," he tries to comfort. "Just a little physical therapy and meds and you'll be good to go."

"And what if I'm not?"

Rhys has to admit, he hasn't even thought of that as a possibility. "You will be. And even if you're not, we've got the best doctors in the galaxy right here, they'll fix it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The door opens then, and a young doctor with buzzcut red hair peeks inside. "May- May I come in?" she asks.

Rhys shrugs and looks to Jack, who rolls his eyes again. "Sure. What is it?"

She enters, and almost trips over her own feet, glancing back and forth between Rhys, Jack and the box she carries. It takes Rhys a moment to realize she is probably scared she might be killed for interrupting. "Um," she says, "I'm just here with some exercises. You- You don't have to do them now, but when you have the time that should be fine- Do you want me to show you how to do them? I can come back later if it's not a good time-"

"Now's fine, princess," Jack replies, cutting her off.

"Yes, sir. Of course," she says and puts the box down on a nearby table. She brings out a lumpy, palm-sized item with a series of buttons on it. She places it in Jack's upturned right hand. "We'll start small, with just hands and fingers. Try pressing the buttons, all at once then one at a time."

Jack glares, more at the tool than anything or anyone else. Rhys watches as his hand closes around it, and while his fingers connect with the buttons, they don't budge.

A moment passes. Then another.

"Friggin' _dammit_!" Jack yells then, and Rhys knows that were he able, Jack would have thrown the tool through the window. Instead his hand twitches, and the thing falls to the floor.

Jack closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. There's frustration written all over his face, but Rhys thinks he can see some fear there too.

"Could you- could you pick that up for me, sweetheart?" he asks through clenched teeth, opening his eyes again.

Rhys stands from his chair, but then realizes Jack was talking to the doctor. He can feel his cheeks heating up, but luckily the other two aren't looking at him.

The doctor picks up the tool and almost drops it, before placing it in Jack's hand. "Here you go, Handsome Jack, sir. It's- It's expected to be slow at first. But... just be patient and keep doing the exercises and you should be able to move normally in no-time." She lets out a shaky breath, as if she's scared to talk so much in Jack's presence.

Jack doesn't seem to notice. "Being patient isn't exactly my strongest suit, buttercup. Not that I have any weak suits, it's just not my strongest one." His hand closes around the tool again.

Rhys clears his throat. "I'll… I'm gonna go. Back to mine. It's been a long day. I'll see you tomorrow?" He's already standing, after all. And he doesn't need to keep making a fool of himself.

Jack turns to him. "What? Yeah sure. Don't leave me alone too long with these nerds though." His lips twitch into a slight smile at the end.

Rhys smiles back. "Of course." As he leaves, he asks himself why he was in such a rush to get away. He's been waiting for days for Jack to wake up, for crying out loud. Maybe it was just too much at once. Especially since Jack couldn't really do much of anything and Rhys wanted to help in some way, but he couldn't imagine Jack to be the type to ask for help from anyone about anything. He tries not to think too much about what Helios is going to become, now that Jack has returned.

He sleeps, but it's restless, and he dreams of people dying. Of Jack killing Fiona. Of Sasha killing Jack. Of himself causing so much trouble just because he had to try and steal a damn Vault key. He doesn't really feel rested when he wakes up, but wakes up nonetheless.

There should be time to see Jack before he has to meet the Pandorans, Rhys figures, and he can probably come up with some excuse for being a little late. He does run the company, after all.

As he gets dressed and ready, Rhys might make a little extra effort to look good, but it's not something he'll admit to anyone. As he stands in front of the mirror styling his hair, Rhys comes to think of how sad Jack's hair looked yesterday, and he slips the little jar of hair gel and a comb into his pocket. When he gets his coffee on the way to the labs he grabs a cup for Jack too. The coffee in the med-labs is probably crappy anyway.

Yesterday when he went to see Jack he was nervous, but it all happened so fast that it never really had the time to sink in. Now though, when he's had all night and all morning, the nervousness is making his hands shake a bit as he approaches the lab doors. Not a good thing when you're carrying hot coffee.

Doctor Simon is already there when Rhys arrives. She looks exhausted.

"Good morning, sir," she greets. "Doctor Amber is with him right now, you can go inside if you like."

Rhys nods. "Thanks. And uh… you know you can get some sleep, if you like. It's alright."

"I'm fine, sir, but thank you," Simon smiles.

"Then go home early tonight. You've earned a proper rest."

He doesn't give her a chance to protest, and heads for Jack's room. The doctor from last night is there. Doctor Amber, then. "Morning," Rhys greets, "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure," Jack replies, then turns to the doctor. "You can go, pumpkin. Come back when you've found a toy that helps with my friggin' arms."

She seems relieved to get out of there, and just gives Rhys a quiet "Sir" as she hurries past him.

"Took you long enough," Jack says once the door closes.

Rhys shrugs. "I got you coffee. I hope black is alright." He takes a mug out of the paper bag and holds it out to Jack.

Jack stares at him and raises an eyebrow.

"Shit! I am so sorry, I didn't- I don't know-" Rhys babbles, and sets the cup down on the table next to Jack's bed. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, kiddo," Jack assures, smiling slightly at Rhys' awkwardness. "They got me some kinda straw, just hook it up to that. Or y'know, just pour it into the IV, I'm sure it's fine."

Rhys finds the straw Jack mentioned and puts it in the cup. While he busies himself with that, Jack clears his throat.

"Um. Thanks though," he says. "For the coffee."

"What? Oh. Yeah, no problem," Rhys replies, taking a seat in the same chair as yesterday. "So… I hope the doctors aren't driving you too crazy."

Jack grunts. "Eh. Just wish they were better at their job so that I could actually be walking around, but I'll live." By his sides, Jack's hands curl into fists so despite his complaints, he seems to be making progress. Which is a relief, because Rhys suspects that a permanently paralyzed Handsome Jack would be very bad news. For him _and_ the company.

"Is there… Is there anything I can do?" he asks. "I mean, to make it easier for you. While you're here."

Jack's shoulders twitch in what must have been intended as a shrug. "I'd say booze, but Doctor Whatsername said it could slow down my recovery so… Normally I'd do it anyway, but this isn't really something I'm willing to gamble with. Gambling's fun though, d'you think they could fit a slot machine in here? I could hire someone to pull the lever for me."

Rhys blinks. "Um. I could look into it?"

"I'm kidding, princess."

"Ri- Right." He's reminded of when he first installed Jack's AI, of how scared and uncomfortable it made him to have Jack around, while at the same time being one of the coolest things that had ever happened to him. Now that Jack is physically here, that same feeling comes back to him. He feels awkward in his own skin, not sure what to do or say.

"Could get me some clothes though."

"What?"

Jack raises his eyebrows. "Clothes. You know, the kind you wear? On your body? It hasn't been a day yet and I'm sick of wearing a friggin' sheet."

"Yeah, sure," Rhys says, nodding. "I can fix that." He wonders what size Jack is. Will he be offended if Rhys finds something too small? Something too big?

"Sweet. Just pick something from my closet. It's in the bedroom, you can't miss it."

Rhys opens his mouth to speak, but Jack is faster.

"I already gave you access to my apartment. Before I…" He clears his throat and looks away. "Before I deactivated. Don't snoop around though, just find me a sweater or something."

Wait. Jack wants Rhys to go into his apartment? Alone? What?

"What?"

"Just bring me a sweater from my apartment. How is that unclear?"

"Um. Right. Sure. A sweater. From your… apartment. Got it."

"Attaboy."

Unsure what to say, Rhys keeps quiet, and unsure what to do with his hands, he stuffs them in his pockets. The fingers of his left hand find something hard and cool, and he remembers the hair gel and comb he brought along. He pulls them out of his pocket, clearing his throat.

"I, uh… I thought you might want your hair fixed. To feel more like yourself. Or something." There's a painfully long moment in which Jack says nothing, and Rhys' eyes keep darting between Jack and the items.

"Huh," Jack says then. "Sure. Why not?"

Rhys gives a little smile. "Yeah? I'll… I'll leave it here then. I guess a nurse can help you later?"

Jack scoffs, shaking his head as much as his muscles will let him. "Are you kidding? Have you seen what these people look like? The only way they'd know what hair gel is is by analyzing all the chemicals in the ingredients list. No freakin' way. Nu-uh. You'll do it."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. You know your way around a coiff."

Not daring to argue, Rhys stands up, moving closer to Jack's bed. His hands shake a bit when he unscrews the lid of the hair gel, and he hopes Jack doesn't notice.

Rhys doesn't really have a hard time styling other people's hair. He's helped out Vaughn enough times that he's gotten the hang of it. He does have a hard time grasping the fact that it's Handsome Jack's hair, though. The first minute or so mostly consists of Rhys internally freaking out, and his thoughts are _holy shit I'm touching Handsome Jack holy shit I'm touching Handsome Jack_ stuck on repeat. They fade somewhat after a little while, though his heart is still beating rapidly somewhere up in his throat.

Jack's style is a bit different from Rhys' own, but he thinks he makes a pretty good job of it. He might have tried to style his own hair like Jack's at some point in the past. At several points. Anyway.

It's when he thinks he's done that Rhys finally dares to look at Jack's face again, worried that he's been watching and judging him this whole time. He's surprised to see that Jack's eyes are closed, and a faint smile is playing on his lips. Rhys pulls his hands away and takes a step back.

After a moment, Jack frowns, then opens his eyes. "You done?"

Rhys nods. "I… think so?"

"Well, lemme see. There's a mirror on the table to your left."

Rhys turns to look for the mirror, finds it, and then holds it up in front of Jack. "Is it okay?" he asks.

Jack says nothing, just squints at his reflection. Rhys looks at Jack's hair, trying to find what he might have done wrong. It's only now, when he sees him from a few feet away, that Rhys notices what has been bugging him.

"Your grey streak is gone," he notes, without thinking.

"Huh," Jack says. "So it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> April fools! B)
> 
> I'm not putting this on ice at all, the updates will be just as sporadic and irregular as they've always been. I might have written the final bit of this chapter just so that I could publish it today though. For me there's still 50 minutes left of April 1st so... Sorry!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He always wondered how Jack lived. Part of him used to hope that Jack would notice him some day, and bring him here. Actually seeing the place is surreal, just like entering his office for the first time was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am the absolute worst.  
> I thought I was just joking with you guys when I said it would be months until the next update, but I guess I played myself.  
> Thank you to everyone who has commented and read this story, it means a lot, even if I suck at updating it <3

"It's strange," Rhys says then, like an idiot. And continues, "I mean, not that it's not nice! It makes you look younger. Not that you looked old before or anything, but it was a nice touch. And now it's-" He starts to trail off as he realizes what he's doing "...not there... Anymore?"

Great. He managed to keep calm for the minutes when he was touching Jack's hair, but he freaks out after. He's not surprised, not really. But he had hoped he would handle this better. He clears his throat and turns around as he puts the mirror away.

"Does it look bad?" Jack asks then, and as Rhys halfway turns back around he sees Jack looking up at the ceiling, pointlessly trying to get a look at where the grey streak used to be. He doesn't sound worried, per se, but Rhys does get a glimpse of Jack's vanity.

"No! Not at all," Rhys hurries. "Just… different, is all."

Jack's mouth twitches at the corner. "I guess everything's a bit different these days."

"I guess so."

 

Rhys excuses himself not long after, telling Jack that he has work to do. It's technically true, so he doesn't feel too bad about it. 

"Don't overwork yourself, pumpkin," Jack tells him then. "You're allowed to chill when you're the boss."

Rhys doesn't really want to bring up the fact that Jack is, technically, the boss. So he just gives a little wave and leaves with a "See you, Jack."

As he walks towards the Vault lab, he can feel himself growing more and more nervous. He's going to act different now that Jack is around again, he just knows it. And Fiona will pick up on it. He wishes he could just call in sick or something, but the Vault will be opened in two days and there's no way they'd believe him. Of course, he could just postpone the entire thing… But no. Opening the Vault will get Sasha and Fiona out of his hair, which is exactly what he needs in order to be able to deal with Jack. And the riches inside the Vault will probably help him get on Jack's good side too.

"Overslept?" Sasha asks him after he's stepped through the lab door.

"Um. Yes?" Rhys tries, caught off-guard.

"And here I thought Hyperion hated laziness," she teases.

"I'm the boss, aren't I?" Rhys retorts, remembering Jack's words. So far no one seems to have any suspicions, but it hasn't even been a minute yet.

Sasha just shakes her head and gets back to her conversation with one of the scientists. Despite how she never misses an opportunity to say something bad about Hyperion, she seems to get along pretty well with its employees.

The day is spent fairly hard at work, going over everything multiple times to make sure nothing can go wrong. It probably will anyway, given that they're going to Pandora, but it doesn't hurt to be careful. Rhys takes every chance he gets to take a peek at his ECHO in case there's an update on Jack, but his inbox stays empty, save from spam and some underlings trying to kiss his ass.

He's tempted to sneak away during lunch, but Fiona suggests that they all eat together and Rhys can't find a way to get out of it without seeming suspicious. Olivia and Doctor Mundo join them as well, and since his conversation with Fiona the other day, Rhys can't help but feel awkward around his employees. He keeps noticing them glancing at him, or he thinks they do. If this is what it was like for Jack to socialize with the rest of the company Rhys doesn't understand how he did it.

But time passes, and finally it's late enough for Rhys to leave the lab. With a sigh of relief he sets his course towards his new destination: Jack's apartment.

The relief is soon replaced with a mild sense of dread, however. What if Jack hasn't turned off his security measures and there's another field of disintegration hiding behind the door? What if he finds something Jack doesn't want him to? The time it takes to fast travel and walk to Jack's apartment is way too short, and the unease is still settled firmly in his gut.

The plants that line the hallway outside Jack's apartment are a bit more fancy than the others on Helios, but other than that, the CEO residential floor seems rather… normal. Aside from the gold that lines the door to the apartment, of course. 

With a shaking hand, Rhys activates the door control.

He always wondered how Jack lived. Part of him used to hope that Jack would notice him some day, and bring him here. Actually seeing the place is surreal, just like entering his office for the first time was.

The ceilings are high, and the room stretches out all the way to the edge of the station. From the door, there is no opposite wall at all, just a large window showing the purple glow of Elpis, hundreds of miles below. The space is wide and open, and where he stands Rhys has a view of a kitchen area, a dining table as well as a lounge. There are a couple of doors here and there that he assumes lead to bathrooms and bedrooms.

Like most of Helios, the apartment is minimalistic. All furniture save for chairs and the couch looks to be made of metal, which is contrasted by the plants that decorate the space. It's a good thing the plants at the station are automatically taken care of, or these would have rotted long ago. The place looks almost like it belongs in a magazine, aside from the items strewn around that indicate that someone did use to live here. Books and notes and tablets remain scattered around the lounge and kitchen, as remnants from before Jack died.

"Hiya cupcake."

Jack's voice startles him, and Rhys spins around to face him. Only he's nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know what brings you here or how you figured out you could get in, but here you are."

Oh. It's coming from the speakers. Jack sounds… sad.

"I guess something must have gone wrong with the transfer and you decided to not activate me again. Which is pretty shitty of you, since I plan on making you promise to reboot me if something goes wrong. But for once I don't feel like throwing someone out an airlock, so I'll let it slide. Who knows, maybe you'll feel guilty now and regret throwing the drive away. But hey, no grudges. Either way, Hyperion is yours now, kiddo, so you'd better take care of it. I'm proud of you, Rhys. See ya around."

Jack's voice falls silent and the speakers click off. Rhys is silent too, as he processes the message for what it was; a note left by Jack before he transferred his data to the clone. He must have forgotten to remove it.

Rhys tries not to think of the message as he continues through the apartment, his steps echoing across the vast space. Did Jack doubt Rhys’ promise to revive him? Rhys knows Jack has pretty much always been paranoid, but still, he wasn’t expecting this. Did Jack really think Rhys carried that kind of authority that would have let him tell the doctors to abort the procedure?

Rhys shakes his head and keeps looking for Jack’s bedroom. There has to be some clothes in there. He tries the first door on his right, but it turns out to be a bathroom. Big and spacious, but impersonal. Probably intended for guests, though Rhys has a hard time imagining Jack inviting friends up for dinner.

The next door does indeed lead to a bedroom, though not one that would have belonged to Jack. Black and purple and blue covers the entire room, from bed to desk, and artificial sunlight is lazily streaming through a fake window. Two doors stand ajar, one leading to a closet, one to an ensuite bathroom. There are magazines with pictures of people strewn on the desk and bed, and some clothes are still forgotten on the floor. There are more pictures covering the room, aside from the ones in the magazines. Posters and framed photos are on the wall and tables, and the one that catches Rhys’ eye is one of Jack, smiling widely with his arm wrapped around the shoulders of a young girl.

Rhys swallows and, feeling like he’s seen something he shouldn’t have, he closes the door and leaves the room alone.

He turns to the other side of the apartment, and opens the door there. He is faced with a large, large bed that has been left unmade. It’s cast in a soft, purple glow from the window, which doesn’t quite have Elpis in view, but still captures the moon’s constant glow. Without thinking, Rhys lets his fingers drag along the dark sheets at the foot of the bed. Silk. Of course.

He pulls his hand back from the shiny fabric, and resumes his search. There are some clothes strewn over the floor, along with more notes and blueprints, but Rhys figures clothes that have been laying around since before Jack died would be pretty gross, even with the air cycling. He debates cleaning it up for Jack, but decides against it, since he doesn't know how Jack would react to him snooping through his old notes.

Instead he turns to the doors within the bedroom, and opens the one that doesn't lead into the ensuite. He's faced with a decent sized closet, and steps in.

There are several sets of formal wear hung in neat rows, though they look like they hadn't been touched in a while, even before Jack's death. Then again, Jack was never known for dressing to impress. Usually, he'd dress down instead, and enjoy how he still commanded the room, even when all his employees were dressed to the nines. Or, so Rhys always assumed, at least.

But there are a lot of casual pants and shirts, and soon enough Rhys finds a sweater that he thinks Jack will want. He'd better, since there are at least ten copies of the soft, yellow garment laying around. Rhys knew that Jack had a signature look that he liked to wear in public and the like, but seriously? Rhys had no idea that the outfit took up more than half of Jack's closet.

Shaking his head, though still smiling, at Jack's vanity, Rhys grabs a sweater and exits the closet.

It's a relief to leave Jack's apartment behind and once again walk through the more familiar corridors of Helios. Though the closer he gets to the med labs, the heavier Rhys' guts feel. It's not dread, not really, but it's not excitement either. Some sort of nervous mixture of the two, perhaps. Rhys isn't even sure whether or not he likes it.

Either way he has to face it, because eventually his feet take him to the labs. He greets the employees as he steps inside, and immediately spots Jack through the window. He seems calm, and focused on the ECHO in his hands.

He doesn't look up when Rhys steps through the door. "Thought I told you morons to leave me alone. I'm catching up on Scheme of Crowns."

"I thought we were watching that together," Rhys comments, causing Jack to finally look up.

"Oh. Well, like you haven't seen the latest episode while I was getting de-digitalized."

Rhys shrugs. "Nah. Wasn't in the mood."

"I'm only half-way through the episode anyway. I won't spoil, I promise. Not even when-"

"Jack."

"What? Right. Sorry." Jack smiles... sheepishly?, then puts the ECHO away on a side table. 

"You're using your arms again," Rhys points out, trying not to dwell on how strange Jack is acting.

"Yeah," Jack says with a grin and stretches out both arms in front of himself. "Can't do any heavy lifting, but I can hold things. So that's not completely useless. Anyway. Did you bring a sweater or not?"

Rhys nods, and closes the distance to the hospital bed as he pulls out the sweater from his bag. "You had about a hundred of these, so I figured it was a safe bet."

Jack’s grin widens. ”That’s the stuff, Rhysie. Well done.” He grabs the IV and nodes still connected to his arm and pulls them out, causing one of the monitors in the room to flatline and another to start beeping furiously. Once his arms are free, he pulls the sweater on. ”Nice.”

It takes barely a second for the room to fill with worried scientists and doctors, hurrying to make sure that Jack isn’t injured in any way, and reconnecting the chords he pulled. Rhys essentially gets pressed to the wall, trying to stay out of the way.

”Oh come on,” Jack says. ”A guy can’t get dressed without you geeks getting all flustered about it? Relax, before I airlock someone.”

One of the doctors clear their throat as they all step back, giving Jack some space. ”I’m sorry, sir, Handsome Jack, sir, it’s just- There’s a lot riding on this project and we can’t be careful enough. It’s important that you-” They meet Jack’s gaze, who is raising an expectant eyebrow. ”That you are comfortable,” the doctor finishes. ”My apologies.”

The doctors leave the room, most nervous and a bit scared. As the door closes behind the last of them, Jack almost bursts out laughing. ”Oh man, I love it when they’re awkward like that. I mean, I kinda hate it, but I also love it.”

”Aren’t they right though?” Rhys dares. ”You should be careful.”

Jack raises the same expectant eyebrow, this time directed at Rhys.

Rhys wavers and clears his throat. ”You… you want to get better, don’t you?”

Jack crosses his arms, almost ripping out the IV again. ”What do you think?”

”I-”

”Of course I do, Rhys. But I’m friggin’ sick of not doing things, so now that I finally can do things, you can bet your long legs that I will. Capiche?”

Rhys nods. He gets it, he does. ”Yeah.”

Jack clears his throat. ”So, uh, while you were getting that sweater, uh was there anything else? In the apartment?”

”Like what?” Rhys asks, the recording vibrant in his mind.

”Oh. Nothing. It’s just been a while since I was there, is all. Don’t remember how I left it.”

”Right. So, uh…”

”You’re not leaving, right?” Jack interrupts. ”We’ve got Scheme of Crowns to watch.” He grabs his ECHO again, and nods at the chair standing by the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with me, kiddos.  
> Hopefully the next update won't take as long, but I make no promises this time, to avoid letting you down.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning Rhys wakes up to find thirteen new messages on his ECHO. All from the username ~HJack69~. Now who could that possibly be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter breaks the 40k wordcount, so that's pretty cool. And hey, I only kept you waiting a month this time!
> 
> As always, thanks to everyone who reads and comments, this fic wouldn't get written without you guys!
> 
> Also, proofreading? Don't know her.

Rhys is pretty sure the whole thing was a bit weird.

He watched the episode with Jack, which was pretty normal. When there was a particularly gory bit, Jack laughed and then looked at Rhys to make sure he was laughing too, which was also pretty normal. The nudging and Jack brushing their arms together though? Not pretty normal.

Granted, Rhys actually has no idea if Jack has been doing it the whole time and Rhys just hasn't noticed on the account of Jack having been a hologram, but the point is that he definitely noticed it now and it was weird. Maybe not a bad weird, but weird nonetheless. It just… doesn't seem like something that Jack does. When Jack touches someone it's usually to strangle them (mostly to death), not casually touching arms while watching the ECHO.

Rhys ended up being way more focused on the contact ‒ not skin to skin thankfully, because that would have been on a level way above what Rhys can handle ‒ than on what actually happened in the episode. So when he comes back to his apartment, which he does after leaving Jack with an ever-so-smooth "Uh, bye then, Jack. I'll… see you around!", he slumps down on his bed and rewatches the thing on his ECHO. But every now and then he's reminded of what Jack said or did when they watched it just over an hour ago, and about halfway in he throws his ECHO aside and gives up.

"Ugh. What is  _ wrong  _ with me?" Rhys asks the air. A week ago, Jack's hologram would have popped up to give some dumb suggestion. Rhys is partly thankful that he can't do that right now, and part of him misses it. And now he's thinking about Jack again. Great.

"He's just like this because he got his body back," Rhys reasons. "He'll stop eventually." Whether that's reassuring or disappointing, he can't quite tell.

Rhys sits on his bed and stares at the opposite wall for an uncertain amount of time, before he gets up and makes his way to the shower. The water pressure is still amazing, but it's just not doing it for him right now. At some point Rhys finds himself wondering what the shower is like in Jack's apartment, but he cuts that thought off before it can go anywhere else. He exits the shower with the off feeling still remaining.

He misses Vaughn, Rhys realizes later that evening. He misses talking to someone about stuff. Sure, he and Vaughn didn't always tell eachother everything, but they were pretty close. Rhys could have talked to Vaughn about all this; he'd understand bringing Jack back.

"This is the worst," Rhys groans. "And I'm talking to myself. Awesome."

The next morning Rhys wakes up to find thirteen new messages on his ECHO. All from the username ~HJack69~. Now who could that possibly be.

**23:54** ~HJack69~: _ rhysie _

**23:54** ~HJack69~: _ im bored _

**23:54** ~HJack69~: _ whatcha doin _

**23:55** ~HJack69~: _ cupcake _

**00:12** ~HJack69~:  _ have you ever been in a hospital overnight? its boring _

**00:13** ~HJack69~:  _ literally nothing happens _

**00:15** ~HJack69~:  _ are u sleeping? _

**00:15** ~HJack69~:  _ what i wouldnt give to have a comfy bed rn _

**00:16** ~HJack69~:  _ rhysieeeeee _

**00:16** ~HJack69~:  _ get down here im bored _

**00:17** ~HJack69~:  _ there arent even any doctors to bother _

**00:19** ~HJack69~: _ >:( _

**00:48** ~HJack69~:  _ are u awake yet _

Rhys finds himself smiling at Jack's impatience. It's kind of… endearing? If endearing is a word that can be used to describe a man who airlocks people for fun. Rhys types his reply.

**07:21** 13Rhys37:  _ Good morning _

To Rhys' surprise, Jack's response is almost immediate.

**07:22** ~HJack69~:  _ finally _

**07:22** ~HJack69~:  _ bring me coffee _

**07:22** ~HJack69~:  _ please? _

Rhys shrugs to himself. Jack did say please.

**07:23** 13Rhys37:  _ Sure :) _

So not much later, Rhys finds himself once again down in Jack's temporary room with two cups of coffee. This time, Jack can take his on his own.

"You know, you still haven't told me how you take your coffee," Rhys points out as he hands the cup over. "I'm just improvising."

Jack shrugs. "Meh. As long as it's caffeine, I'm good."

"So what's happening today?" Rhys asks after a beat. "More PT?"

"I guess. It's more boring than watching accountants buy new calculators, but I don't wanna be in this bed any longer than I need to, so…"

"You got your hands back pretty quickly, shouldn't be too long until you can walk too," Rhys tries to reassure.

"Maybe. And I guess there's always ECHO shows to binge until then." Jack is silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before he looks up at Rhys. A smile is tugging at the corner of his lips. "Why don't you take the day off? Leave the paperwork or whatever it is you're doing to an assistant and we can, I don't know, try to revive Butt Stallion. I wanna see how she's doing these days."

Rhys hesitates for a moment, then sighs. He needs to be there to prepare the trip to Pandora. "I… I can't, Jack. There's this thing tomorrow that I really gotta do and there's a lot to plan still."

Jack shakes his head. "What thing?"

"Oh, just… A thing. Some boring stuff that has to be done."

"Right," Jack says, his smile fading.

Rhys isn't sure what to focus on. The fact that Jack seems genuinely disappointed or the fact that he just lied about Pandora? The expedition is tomorrow, it's not like he can keep it a secret! And it's not like he's supposed to, either. Fuck.

Rhys clears his throat. "I mean. I'd be happy to revive Butt Stallion. Just. Maybe it's better if we wait until you can walk again? So that you won't have to use a wheelchair. Those still don't work properly with the fast travel and all that."

"Hm. I thought they fixed that. Whatever," Jack replies, without meeting Rhys' gaze.

"I'm sorry. I know you want to get out of here. And you will. Soon, I promise."

Jack doesn't give more than a huff in response, so Rhys walks out of there, with a heavy feeling settling in his gut. He didn't mean to upset Jack. If that is what he did. That he could have the pull to upset Jack at all is kind of surreal, so he isn't sure what actually just happened. Jack is probably just impatient.

 

When he arrives at the Vault lab not much later, Rhys is greeted by Fiona.

"Morning," she says, then looks at him with inquisitive eyes. "You feeling okay?"

Once again, Rhys worries that Fiona knows. About what he's done with Jack, what he's still doing. "Just nerves for tomorrow, I guess," he replies. It's not entirely a lie, but it kind of feels like one.

"About that," Fiona says, and Rhys feels himself freeze for a second, before she continues, "We need to decide how to split the treasure. I think it's only fair that we all get an equal share; you, me, Sasha and August. We've all helped."

A bit shaken, Rhys blinks and takes a moment before he answers. "But I've put an entire team of scientists into researching it. I have a company to run."

"Five shares then. One goes to Hyperion," Fiona suggests.

"Fine," Rhys agrees. Not long ago, he would have argued, but he has way too much on his mind these days. "And what happens afterwards? You guys'll stay down on Pandora?"

Fiona shakes her head. "Not really. We'll look for a ship out of here. Going to one of the Edens, probably."

Oh. Of course they're leaving. No one in their right mind really wants to stay on Pandora. It should be a relief that they're leaving, because Rhys won't have to keep the secret that is Jack hidden for much longer, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't grown accustomed to having them around. It's nice to get some backtalk now and again. "Right," he says. "That makes sense."

"But, uh… We've talked. Sasha and August and I," Fiona continues. "And we'll ask around a bit first, once we're planetside. About Vaughn. He's a nice guy, for Hyperion. It'd be good to know that he's alright."

"Really?" Rhys is surprised to hear it, but maybe Vaughn had bonded with them more than he knew.

"Yeah," Fiona tells him, with a nod and a slight smile.

He smiles back. "Thanks. I miss him. He's my best friend, you know?"

"I know. Now come on, let's get everything ready for tomorrow."

 

As the day comes to an end, everything seems to be in place. Mostly thanks to the Vault team's scientists and workers.

There will be a team on the ground and a team remaining up on Helios, and everyone knows what part they need to play. All equipment is in order, and they're as ready as they'll ever be to fight the Traveler. What to expect inside the Vault is the only unpredicted factor, but as far as they know, aside from the Vault's guardian a Vault in itself is rarely a threat. But they have still taken precautions, and whatever lies inside the Vault, they will be ready for it. Rhys has poured quite a bit of Hyperion's budget into this project, so they'd better be.

"By this time tomorrow, we'll have the riches of the Vault, sir," Mundo tells him before Rhys leaves that evening. The doctor seems proud of his accomplishment, though still a little nervous for the big day that is tomorrow. Rhys can't blame him for that, especially not since he's just as nervous himself.

"We will," Rhys agrees, trying to sound more confident than he actually is as he takes Mundo's hand and shakes it. "You've done a great job here, Doctor Mundo. I won't forget that."

Mundo's smile grows as he returns the handshake. "Thank you, sir."

"Now get a good night's sleep, okay? And I'll see you tomorrow." Rhys probably won't sleep at all, but at least one of them should.

"I will," Mundo agrees, and Rhys turns to leave.

At the fast travel station, he hesitates. His finger hovers over the input that would take him to Jack, and then, as pettiness over their conversation this morning washes over him, he instead orders the station to take him home. It's a stupid thing to do, probably. Childish. But Jack didn't seem too happy with him this morning, so maybe he doesn't want to see Rhys now either.

A relaxing night to himself, that's what Rhys needs. Tomorrow he will be one of the few people in the current universe to have opened a Vault. He should relish in not having that kind of responsibility while he can. But after barely an hour, his ECHO gives him a notification. It's fine. Rhys wasn't really relaxing anyway.

Of course the message is from Jack.

**20:14** ~HJack69~:  _ ur usually here by now _

**20:14** ~HJack69~:  _ working late? _

Rhys sighs. He's debating whether or not to reply when the ECHO goes off again.

**20:17** ~HJack69~:  _ i can see that youve read it _

**20:17** ~HJack69~:  _  might as well talk to me pumpkin _

**20:18** 13Rhys37:   _ Sorry. A lot on my mind _

**20:18** ~HJack69~:  _ thinkin bout how cool i am? i getcha _

It's a wonder his name isn't Humble Jack. Really. Rhys shakes his head, smiling to himself.

**20:18:** 13Rhys37:  _ You know it _

**20:19** ~HJack69~:  _ once a Jack fan, always a Jack fan _

**20:19** ~HJack69~:  _ was there like a name for it? i never paid attention _

**20:19** ~HJack69~:  _ jacksters? jacknerds? jackquitos?  _

**20:19:** 13Rhys37:  _ That's ridiculous. _

**20:19:** 13Rhys37:  _ And no, there was no name _

There's no point denying that he was a fan. Jack knows that already. At least he was never one of those guys with the masks. And he never paid for the Handsome Jack VIP Experience. Mostly because he could never afford it, but still.

**20:20** ~HJack69~:  _ whatever you say cupcake _

**20:20** ~HJack69~:  _ so _

**20:20** ~HJack69~:  _ when are u coming? _

Rhys hesitates. He really isn't in the mood to leave his apartment, and the way he and Jack left things this morning doesn't exactly make him eager to continue their conversation, either.

**20:23:** 13Rhys37:  _ I'm busy. Big day tomorrow. _

**20:24** ~HJack69~:  _ youre kidding me right? _

**20:24:** 13Rhys37:  _ No? _

**20:24** ~HJack69~:  _ fine. have it your way rhys. _

There are no more messages from Jack after that. Rhys can't help but feel that he just messed things up further, but he's not exactly going to go downstairs either. Not when Jack might be pissed off. So instead he spends the evening on his own, eating more ice cream than food. When he can't put it off any longer, he crawls into bed, though sleep doesn't want to take him.

He lies awake for a long time, listening to the constant, low rumbling of Helios' machinery. It's not as loud as it was in his old apartment, but the presence of it is still comforting. He's used to it, and knows that he has a hard time sleeping without it. Yet, tonight it doesn't help. His mind keeps offering him various ways tomorrow could go wrong, and when it runs out of ideas for that it starts to question his relationship with Jack. Something has been changing, at least since Jack got his body back. But Rhys is pretty sure he messed up whatever it was today, and doesn't know how he should apologize. Those that try to apologize to Handsome Jack often end up failing and dying. Maybe opening the Vault of the Traveler will be enough.

The morning eventually comes, according to the digits on Rhys' ECHO. He hasn't slept nearly enough, but there is nothing he can do about that now. As he steps through the door to leave his apartment, he realizes that he might die today. Opening a Vault is risky business, and he wouldn't be the first.

Despite last night, Rhys still finds himself outside the med labs, his heart beating hard in his chest.

There's a bit of unusual commotion outside Jack's room, caused by a couple of workers busy trying to replace a window. The glass has a thick crack running along it, with smaller cracks spreading from what has to have been a point of impact.

"Good morning, sir," a doctor says quietly, almost murmur. "You might want to be a bit careful today. He destroyed his ECHO last night." She nods towards the window.

"Oh. Um, thank you," Rhys says. It seems Jack is getting some strength back. Even more than he used to have.

Rhys tries not to let that worry him as he steps inside Jack's room. "Hi," he greets, keeping his voice almost as low as the doctor's.

"Rhys," Jack says flatly, causing Rhys to waver. He had expected hostility, and had even known how to handle relief, but he doesn't know what to do when there seems to be no emotion at all from Jack.

"I'm… I'm sorry about yesterday," Rhys says after a moment, though he doesn't walk closer to Jack's bed. "I really do have a lot on my mind right now, but it was pretty… rude. Of me."

"It's fine."

Rhys sighs. He is supposed to meet up with the Vault team pretty soon; he can't stay here for long. But… this time, he needs to tell Jack.

"Look, Jack-" Rhys begins, at the same time as Jack says:

"I should-" They both fall into silence again, but Jack is quicker to break it. "You first," he says, his voice softer now.

Rhys hesitates for a moment, looking down at the floor. As if he might find some courage dropped there. He doesn't, but he speaks nonetheless. "The project of opening the Vault of the Traveler. It's ready, the group is ready. We're going down to Pandora to open it today."

Jack doesn't say anything at first. His initial reaction seems to be satisfaction, his passion for Vault-hunting still present. Then he frowns and looks at Rhys with caution. "You're going too?" he asks.

Rhys shrugs. "Well. Yeah. I started this, so I should finish it. And I want to see the Vault."

"What about the Traveler?" Jack asks, his voice strangely intense.

"There's a plan to deal with it. They've run all kinds of simulations and have plenty of backups."

"And inside the Vault? Then what?"

Rhys smiles. "Then we get the treasure. That's how it goes, isn't it?"

"Rhys-"

But Jack is interrupted by Rhys' ECHO. Turns out he needs to be on location. Right now.

"I've got to go, Jack. There's a Vault to open." Rhys starts to back out the door, overcome by a strange feeling of having to prove himself. He can do this, and he will show Jack so.

"You're not  _ listening- _ "

"I'll see you soon," Rhys reassures. Then he leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally starting to happen! Maybe. That depends on how you look at it. This slow burn tag isn't fucking around.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they do land on Pandora, it is in a vast ocean of dust. Nothing unusual, when it comes to this planet, and neither is the inhospitable feeling that looms over the area. Rhys almost remembers the roadtrip all those months ago to have been cozy, but any traces of that vanishes now that he's back in the barren wastelands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo we're back! As always, huge thanks to everyone who comment or leave kudos, your enthusiasm keeps this fic going <3 (even though it's very slow sometimes)

Rhys joins up with the others. August, Sasha and Fiona are looking determined, and only a little bit uneasy over returning to Pandora. The scientists seem nervous, and with good reason. As far as Rhys knows, none of them have ever set foot on the hellish planet below. The soldiers' faces are hidden behind their helmets, so they look to be feeling nothing at all.

And Rhys? Rhys is just trying to put Jack out of his head. Metaphorically, these days. It was harder last time he was on Pandora, when Jack was literally riding shotgun in his brain, though it is by no means easy now either. Rhys wants to impress him, doesn't want him to regret trusting Rhys as much as he has. And Rhys really wouldn't like to fail. He's come so far, sacrificed so much. Granted, that's not a guarantee for success by any means, not in this world. But still, he would like to live and see that it wasn't in vain.

Even though Rhys is technically the boss of everyone here save for Fiona's group, he has given up command for the time of the mission's duration. Sure, if he wants to make a decision everyone will fold to him, but he won't be calling the general shots. That has instead been left up to people with more expertise in the area: Doctor Mundo as civilian commander, which translates to commander of the scientists really, and a woman known as Colonel Tran to lead the soldiers. It is under her orders that everyone get seated in the shuttles and it is on her command that they take off towards Pandora.

"You're not gonna puke on me this time, right?" August asks from where he is seated behind Rhys.

" _ No _ ," Rhys assures. "And I didn't puke on you last time either. I puked, and then it decided to float to you. I had nothing to do with it."

"Sure you didn't." August doesn't sound convinced.

Next to August, Sasha adds, "I didn't know Hyperion employees had sentient puke. Did you know that, Fi?"

"I had no idea," she replies. "Though I can't say I'm surprised."

"Are you guys done?" Rhys asks. Around them, his employees are looking a little uncomfortable to have their boss insulted like this. Had he been Handsome Jack, the shuttle would have already been coated in blood and they all know it.

"For now," Sasha settles on.

"Good," Rhys says. "'Cause we have a Vault to focus on."

"You say that as if we're not gonna sit here for another hour," Fiona points out. "I mean, you make it sound like we'll just skip right to the good part."

Figuring that an answer will only lead to more gibes, Rhys just groans and sinks deeper into his seat.

 

When they do land on Pandora, it is in a vast ocean of dust. Nothing unusual, when it comes to this planet, and neither is the inhospitable feeling that looms over the area. Rhys almost remembers the roadtrip all those months ago to have been cozy, but any traces of that vanishes now that he's back in the barren wastelands. How anyone ever thought this planet was a good place to build settlements is beyond him.

His thoughts lead him to Vaughn, and he really hopes his friend is still alive somewhere out there. Though the pack of skags that brutally tear into their prey — or, quite possibly, one of their own fallen pack members — in the distance doesn't give him much hope. In an attempt that he knows is pointless, Rhys tries to call Vaughn's ECHO. He's tried every now and then in the months he's been up on Helios, without success. Maybe he's just been out of range, and now that he's also planetside, Vaughn will be able to pick up the signal. He calls and he waits, and gets no reply.

Rhys had already prepared himself for the disappointment and defeat, but it hits him nonetheless. How are you supposed to find one single man on an entire planet?

But he is not left to wallow in his misery for very long. Around him, the teams are setting up for the operation, and the Pandorans are kind of just walking around, mezmerised.

"I never thought I'd miss this planet," he can hear Sasha say.

"As shitty as it is, I guess it's better than hiding out in an evil cargo hold," comes Fiona's reply.

Rhys can't really agree with them, but at least it's good to know that they can find a little happiness and wonder in the midst of all of this.

The relative calm doesn't last long. Soon enough the soldiers have prepared their equipment for dealing with the Traveler, and the scientists are ready to summon it. An eerie silence falls over the group as Colonel Tran calls their attention. She looks to Rhys, who nods, and then to Doctor Mundo, who does the same.

"Activate the beacon!" she commands, her voice ringing across the barren landscape. Some of the scientists fiddle with their equipment until a surge of electricity can be heard, and a prominent light flicks on.

At first, nothing happens.

Then, there is a strong vibration that rumbles through the ground, and with a deep pulse, the large and imposing entrance of a Vault appears a few hundred yards ahead of them. It sends out a shockwave, rattling equipment as well as people and causing the dust to rise into the air, but then everything is quiet. Everyone seems to be holding their breath, just waiting for what is bound to come out of the imposing structure that, for the moment, has made Pandora its resting place.

The entrance itself is a shimmery purple, its surface moving as if it is alive. A moment passes before something breaches it from the other side. A hand, massive and made out of stone, comes through to grasp the arc of the entrance. And then another. The Traveler pulls itself out of the Vault, its full body almost larger than the entrance itself. It turns its faceless head towards the humans and roars.

Rhys is speechless. He knew all Vaults were guarded and that this one would be no exception. But he could never have imagined anything like this.

Luckily, his employees are well-trained and prepared, and they spring into action. Several small aircrafts take flight and take their positions all around the guardian, buzzing around it like flies. It tries to swat them away, but there are too many for it to keep up. Rhys thinks it seems to be going pretty well. Until the Traveler teleports.

One second it is standing in the middle of a Hyperion-yellow aircraft swarm, the next it is standing behind it and raising its huge hands to smack the vessels together. It's hard to tell, but at least two of them seem to fall to the ground, broken beyond repair and with their pilots still inside.

Colonel Tran is speaking rapidly on her comms, and soon the aircrafts switch techniques, swarming in different formations. Rhys has a hard time grasping what is fully going on, but after a series of maneuvers and some frantic discussions between Tran and Mundo using words Rhys barely understands, the Traveler no longer teleports. Rhys is informed enough to know that that means the plan is working. Though the pilots of the wrecked aircrafts might disagree.

The Hyperion forces keep swarming the guardian, keeping it in place, and soon enough Colonel Tran gives the order up on Helios to fire the moonshot cannon. From their vantage point down on Pandora the group can see the Eye charging up and the beam get closer and closer, until it hits its target and the Traveler crumbles into a million pieces.

Silence falls. And remains.

When it seems evident that the Traveler isn't going to reform itself, it is Doctor Mundo that finally breaks the silence. "We did it," he says. His voice seems loud even though it isn't. "We actually did it."

"Uh. Good job everyone!" Rhys chimes in, because he gets the stupid feeling that it is his job to do so.

"Well done," Colonel Tran says, sounding much more sure of herself than Rhys could ever manage. "Akimwe, get a count on casualties," she continues, and begins to hand out orders to the rest of her group as well.

And there are definitely casualties to count. The two aircrafts that the Traveler initially smashed are by far the only ones that litter the ground now. Several more got caught in the fighting, and another few were obliterated by the moonshot, their remains now littering the ground with the ones of the Traveler. Rhys can't help but wonder if there was any other way they could have gone through with this, that would have spared those lives.

"I guess… this means we can enter the Vault?" Sasha says eventually.

"I… guess so?" Rhys replies. "Mundo?"

Doctor Mundo looks up, his eyes widen and he gives a nod, before he starts to collect a bunch of equipment and some of his fellow scientists. Rhys takes that as a cleared sign, and begins walking towards the Vault entrance. The Pandorans follow him, and some crew join not long after.

Sasha and August are walking side by side, making bets on what they're gonna find inside. Fiona walks beside Rhys.

"You know, for the record, I think you made the right call," she tells him.

"Wha- I did?" Rhys asks, not sure what she means.

"Yeah. You're doing really well running all of this. I know we've given you some shit about being a corporate douchebag, but you're actually pretty good at the corporate part. Maybe you'll turn Hyperion around." Fiona smiles, and it seems genuine.

"Um. Thanks?"

"Don't mention it. I'm just glad you decided you didn't need the Jack AI for the time being. And I hope you know that you'll be just fine without him."

Rhys' entire body feels cold. "Right." He clears his throat. "No, I… I suppose an AI controlling the station wasn't really the best thing." It's not a lie, but he still curses himself for saying anything at all. The more he weaves himself into this web, the harder it's going to be to confess that while he did remove the AI from the station, it was only so that he could revive Jack properly.

Fiona laughs. "No kidding! May he decompose painfully."

Rhys is about to reply when his ECHO starts calling. It's probably for the best, he thinks at first, given the fact that he would doubtlessly have said something stupid otherwise. Then he sees the caller ID and almost chokes on his own spit. He turns the call down, but not before Fiona sees it and looks at him, puzzled.

"What's going on? You're acting weird. I mean, weirder than normal. Your eye is all glowy," she tells him. He gets another call, and turns that away too.

Rhys clears his throat. "Uh. Nothing, really. I just gotta– Uh. You go ahead."

Fiona shakes her head, but smiles a little. "Sure, whatever you say. Don't take it too easy though, or we might take all the loot before you get there." With that, she goes to catch up with August and Sasha.

And just in time, too, because Rhys' ECHO goes off again, and this time he's far enough away to be able to answer.

"Rhys?" comes Jack's voice in his head, sounding stressed.

"Yes, it's me," Rhys replies, his voice lowered. "I'm kind of busy right now."

There's an audible sigh of… relief…? from the other end before Jack speaks again. "Are you– Is the– I've been calling you for hours," Jack seems to settle on.

Rhys frowns for a moment before remembering. "Yeah, uh, they said long distance comms might go down, to save up power for the Eye. I didn't get anything until now."

" _ That's _ what that was? You used the  _ Eye _ ? Rhys, Helios has been having power surges and– Nevermind. Did you take down the Traveler?"

There's a strange urgency to Jack's voice that Rhys doesn't recognize. He looks up at where the broken remains of the Traveler lies, and pride mixes in with his concern. Up ahead he sees that the Pandorans have arrived at the Vault. Fiona turns around with a smile that seems like a challenge, before stepping through the purple shimmer.

"Yeah, it's defeated. We're going into the Vault right now," Rhys replies.

"Wait!" Jack's voice is loud enough to hurt, and it almost distracts Rhys from the panic it's laced with. "Don't– Don't go in," Jack continues, just a tiny bit calmer.

Rhys shakes his head in confusion. "What? Why not?"

"Just– Just trust me on this one, Rhys, it's not worth it."

"I don't get it. You pursued the Vaults for years, you opened  _ three  _ of them. Why wouldn't it be worth it?" Rhys asks. He's right in front of the entrance now, the stone arc stretching high above him. He's tempted to walk inside, just to break the ECHO connection and get rid of his doubts. Maybe Fiona was right?

"Two, but that's not the point. Rhysie,  _ bad _ things happen in the Vaults. The last one  _ killed _ me, dammit. And the first one, I–"

"What about the treasure?" Rhys asks.

There is a beat of silence before Jack replies, and when he does, his voice is raw and almost quiet. "The treasure is nothing compared to the pain that comes with it."

"What are you–"

"I can't let you make the same mistakes I did. I can't let it destroy you. You're too–"

The connection is cut off as the Vault disappears from right in front of where Rhys is standing.

For a brief moment, his right arm goes numb and his ECHO eye loses its vision, and a weird buzz goes through his body. It all stops as quick as it started, but the Vault is nowhere to be seen, and neither are Fiona, Sasha or August. Rhys looks around, frantic, trying to see if the Vault just popped up somewhere else, but he sees nothing. Behind him, doctor Mundo and his crew approach.

Rhys turns to face them. "What happened? Where did the Vault go?"

"We don't know!" Mundo replies, the stress and worry dominating his voice. Behind him, his crew are talking amongst themselves, bewildered. "It's possible that the Vault can keep teleporting without the Traveler, but that… No… I– I'm sorry, Rhys, sir, I have no idea." He looks back at his crew, but gets nothing but shaking heads. "We have no idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this ended up a little on the short side, but I wanted it to land on a narrative beat or something like that.


End file.
